Not even "work at a company". Most of the dairy farmers here where I'm from are part of a collective called Arla where the independent dairy farmers collaborate

Not even "work at a company". Most of the dairy farmers here where I'm from are part of a collective called Arla where the independent dairy farmers collaborate, effectively building their own safety net with an organization that could support them if they had a bad year. Companies are not required, but social safety nets are hugely important for modern systems of production.