grower

Instead, they face hunger, homelessness and exploitation by large farm growers and vigilantes.

Many established growers simply give their seeds away.

In agricultural states like Michoacán, extortion of farmers—notably avocado and lemon growers—is rampant.

Less than two weeks before Manzo’s killing, police in Michoacán found the battered body of Bernardo Bravo, a renowned leader of regional lime growers who had pushed back against cartel extortion demands.

This year’s crop was projected to be one of the biggest ever, leaving growers with more beans than places to send them.