Little Red Barns: Hiding the Truth, from Farm to Fable

"We are in a fight for our lives against a rising authoritarian tide, and this clear-eyed, compelling, clarion call of a book has a message everyone needs to hear."—Astra Taylor, author of Democracy May Not Exist, but We'll Miss It When It's Gone

Behind the little red barns dotting the landscape and decorating so many of the products we consume is a dangerous threat. This groundbreaking investigation exposes the powerful forces at work to hide the harms of industrial agriculture, its outsize role in the climate crisis, and its links to the global rise of fascism.

Little Red Barns is the record of a harrowing journey that took investigative journalist Will Potter from factory farms to international climate summits, from Congressional hearings to neo-Nazi fascist groups. As Potter uncovers the frightening truth about animal agriculture's role in accelerating climate collapse, he shows how the authoritarian measures being taken to maintain control over this key aspect of the global food supply chain are directly linked to the proliferation and empowerment of far-right militias. Confronting a maelstrom of disturbing information, he asks searching questions about a journalist's role in the 21st century and the impact of bearing witness in a world in which we are bombarded with "news," both real and faked.

© 2025 City Lights Publishers (Ebook): 9780872869158

Release date

Ebook: 8 July 2025