Farmer who tangled with Tyson asks high court help

WASHINGTON - A Tennessee poultry farmer hopes to find out Monday whether the nation's highest court will review his appeal against chicken processer Tyson Farms, which has a huge processing plant in Cumming.

A federal district court judge ruled against Alton Terry, who says he lost his contract to raise chickens for the company and then lost his 12-acre farm. Terry says all this happened because he brought together a group of area farmers and told them they had the right to complain about Tyson's practices.

Terry argues that Tyson and other big companies have too much sway over farmers. He casts his struggle between those who grow the nation's food and those who process it.

Tysons' lawyers are urging the Supreme Court to stay out of the case, saying the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled correctly.