In 1923, Delaware farmer Cecile Steele raised 500 chicks for meat, marking the beginning of the modern broiler industry. This venture not only transformed poultry farming but also set the stage for the mass production of chicken as a staple protein source. Steele's pioneering efforts contributed to the development of industrial agriculture and the commercialization of poultry products.

Cecile Steele's commercial broiler flock in 1923 marked a significant shift towards industrial agriculture, which was reflected in 20th-century poetry that critiqued or celebrated rural modernization. Poets like Wendell Berry began to address themes of sustainability and the relationship between humans and nature.