Brown hens fill the floor of the barn, flocking around each other and towards the open door. Brown hens are curious and tend to approach anyone entering the barn, while white hens are nervous and flee to their coups when people enter their space.

Robert Hostetler, internal compliance auditor for Mid-States Specialty Eggs, surveys a farm that sources to Costco on Dec. 2, 2024, near Sedalia. Hostetler takes pictures of the hens and checks the conditions of the barns and egg storage before he sends the report to Costco.

Eggs travel from inside the barns to be packaged at the Eisgert’s farm before being sent to the Mid-States Specialty Eggs processing plant on Nov. 14, 2024, near Smithton. The hens are trained to lay eggs on the conveyors to limit the number of times people have to enter the barns, which helps limit the hens' potential for contact with diseases.

James Sanders collects eggs on the organic eggs farm where he works and lives Nov. 15, 2024, near Smithton. Sanders works for Eisgert and runs Eisgert’s organic egg operation.

Three of the brands Mid-States Specialty Eggs supplies are available in stores in Columbia on Dec. 10, 2024. Marketside and Happy Egg are available in Walmart, and Good & Gather is available in Target.

Inside the Mid-States Specialty Eggs processing plant eggs are washed and packaged to be sent off to retailers Dec. 9, 2024, in Smithton, Mo. Each carton sent off to retailers is marked with an identifying number that indicates the eggs came from this plant and the local farms the eggs are sourced from.

Stephany Sierra, a Mid-States Specialty Eggs employee, checks eggs for extra air pockets or traces of blood by shining a light through the egg on Dec. 9 at the Mid-States processing facility in Smithton. She checks 100 eggs from every third pallet for quality control.

Hugo Martinez tapes boxes together to be shipped off to retailers Dec. 9, 2024, at the Mid-States Specialty Eggs processing facility in Smithton. Martinez is a floor manager and fills in as needed to ensure production stays on schedule.

Mid-States Specialty Eggs employees enjoy a free breakfast before the first shift starts Dec. 9, 2024, at the Mid-States processing facility in Smithton. Being a Mennonite-owned cooperation, women from the church come in every day to cook and serve breakfast.

Robert Hostetler, internal compliance auditor for Mid-States Specialty Eggs, surveys a farm that sources to Costco on Dec. 2, 2024, near Sedalia. Hostetler takes pictures of the hens and checks the conditions of the barns and egg storage before he sends the report to Costco.

A feather rests on an egg that is ready to be shipped off to the factory for distribution. The eggs are washed at the factory before being packaged.