A Legacy of Adaptation: The Meck Family and Sauder Eggs The Meck family farming saga is a powerful narrative of agricultural resilience and entrepreneurial spirit spanning over 80 years and four generations. The story begins in 1942, in the heart of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The Foundation and Early Growth (1940s-1950s) Carl and Norma Meck established their first operation on a sharecropped farm in Lampeter, managing a modest flock of 1,000 hens. Their ambition quickly outgrew the rented land, leading them to a dedicated poultry farm in Adamstown in 1948. Here, they scaled up to 5,000 hens for egg production, later expanding to a second farm, eventually housing 6,000 birds and incorporating the full lifecycle of brooding and pullet rearing. In an era when most farms were small, their operation was considered large-scale, and all eggs were graded and packaged on-site for sale to Raymond Sauder of R.W. Sauder, marking the beginning of a decades-long partnership. R.W. Sauder itself began as a door-to-door delivery business during the Great Depression, building a reputation for quality that endures today. The Mid-Century Shift to Efficiency (1960s-1990s) In 1964, the industry underwent a significant modernization: the shift to cage housing. This innovation allowed for greater efficiency, disease prevention, and a dramatic increase in bird numbers, from 6,000 to 40,000 hens. Carl formalized a partnership with his son, Ron, creating Caron Farms (a portmanteau of Carl and Ron). Driven by economic necessity and market demands, Caron Farms expanded further, reaching 120,000 hens housed in four different cage houses. Eggs continued to be a core commodity for Sauder’s Eggs, with Ron working closely with Paul Sauder, Raymond’s son, who served as operating officer. Reinvention and the Cage-Free Era (2010s-Present) As equipment aged and leadership transitioned, Ron and his wife Joyce took sole ownership of the farm. Following Ron’s passing in 2012, the farm briefly sat idle. In 2013, a new chapter began when Ron’s son, Matthew, established Featherton Farms to revitalize the family business. The most significant transformation was yet to come. Recognizing the seismic shift in consumer demand toward more humane animal practices, a bold decision was made in 2017: tearing down the three obsolete buildings. The farm was completely reformatted, transitioning from cages to two state-of-the-art 20,000-bird cage-free floor houses with the opportunity for free-ranging. This move reflected an industry-wide change, one that Paul Sauder himself noted as the “right thing to do”. The family’s commitment to quality and adaptability led to a new contract for free-ranging white leghorns in 2025, with management support from Heritage Poultry Management. Today, Featherton Farms under the Matt and Susan stewardship continues the remarkable 77-year tradition of supplying eggs to R.W. Sauder, now led by fourth-generation President and CEO Mark Sauder. This enduring relationship between two family businesses is a testament to shared values and a commitment to meeting the evolving needs of the consumer.
They are a free-range egg farmer for Sauder’s Eggs.
The free-range farming philosophy is the belief that hens thrive when given the freedom to choose their environment. The free-range system allows the flock to move seamlessly between secure, comfortable indoor housing and the natural outdoors, providing consistent access to fresh air, sunlight, and open space while encouraging natural behaviors like foraging and dust-bathing. This active lifestyle reduces bird stress and results in a high-quality, wholesome egg that reflects the vitality of the Pennsylvania countryside.
Key Features of Free-Range Systems
Outdoor Access: Free-range hens have a door to the outside, allowing them to experience fresh air and sunlight, with a requirement of 2 square feet per hen.
Natural Diet: Foraging for bugs and varied greens provides a complex nutrient profile that grain-only diets simply can’t match.
Ecosystem Health: These farms often utilize regenerative agriculture techniques, prioritizing hen vitality and the long-term health of the Pennsylvania countryside.
