Answer:
its actually merchants
Step-by-step explanation:
they often threatened the farmers, saying WE NEED COTTON for example, so all of them would grow cotton, first would get paid 2 dollars per pound, 2nd 1 dollar, then the third "we dont need cotton anymore". the merchants often threatened them in ways of things like "if you dont grow THIS, or work THIS hard, i will stop giving you the crop lien system's land." the merchants usually owned the land that they put the crop lien system on.