Posted by Jamie McGuire
on March 09, 2026
Over the past year I’ve received tons of DMs asking the same question:
“Where should we buy eggs?”
Many of you have been seeing viral videos circulating online questioning some of the most well-known “pasture raised” egg brands in grocery stores (Vital Farms).
Instead of trying to explain everything myself, I thought it would be more helpful to share something written by someone who lives this every single day.
My farmer, Nate from Prairie Creek Farms, wrote a message explaining how the egg and chicken industry actually works in the United States.
Nate is a first-generation regenerative farmer just outside Tulsa, Oklahoma. He raises multiple species of livestock on pastures without chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or confinement barns.
His farm supplies food to thousands of families and restaurants, and he’s spent the last decade studying and observing farming systems across the country.
What he wrote is one of the clearest explanations I’ve seen of how the food industry works and why labels on grocery store shelves often don’t mean what we think they mean.
Meet My Farmer
Nate is a first-generation regenerative farmer in Oklahoma.
He didn’t grow up on a farm. He actually started his career in Silicon Valley and spent 15 years working in healthcare before leaving that world behind to start a regenerative farm outside Tulsa.
Today, he raises five species of livestock on 300 acres using pasture-based regenerative practices.
No confinement barns.
No pesticides.
No herbicides.
No chemical fertilizers.
No corn or soy.
Just animals, pasture, and soil.
Over the last decade, he’s toured farms across the country, from massive industrial operations to some of the best regenerative farms in America.
A few weeks ago he wrote something that stopped me in my tracks.
The Chicken Wool Being Pulled Over Your Eyes
Most people assume grocery store chicken and eggs come from farms.
But the reality is very different.
In the United States, almost all chicken sold in grocery stores comes from a handful of multinational corporations.
Companies like:
- Tyson
- Perdue
- JBS
- Smithfield
Even premium grocery stores are often sourcing from the same supply chain.
The packaging might look different.
The branding might feel “healthier.”
But the chicken itself is frequently coming from the same place.
Nate calls it:
“Refrigerated catfishing.”
How Grocery Stores Repackage Chicken
Here’s something many consumers don’t realize.
Large grocery stores can purchase chicken from a major processor and then repackage it under their own brand name.
This process is called co packing or repacking, and it’s completely legal.
As long as the claims on the new label match the claims on the original packaging, the store can sell it under a completely different brand.
That’s why the chicken at a premium grocery store might look more natural, more ethical, or more artisanal, even though it came from the same source as the chicken sold elsewhere.
The packaging changes.
The marketing changes.
The supply chain often does not. Simply put; Walmart chicken & Sprouts chicken are the same chicken with a different package.
Eggs Have Become a Marketing Battle
Twenty years ago, eggs were simple.
They were cheap, widely available protein and almost every grocery store egg came from large-scale producers.
Today, eggs are one of the most aggressively marketed foods in the grocery store.
Walk down the egg aisle and you’ll see labels like:
- cage-free
- pasture-raised
- organic
- humane certified
- regenerative
- vegetarian (hint: chickens aren't vegetarians)
Each brand trying to convince you their eggs are the healthier, more ethical choice.
But the system behind those labels hasn’t changed as much as we think.
The “Pasture Raised” Loophole
When most people hear pasture-raised, they imagine chickens roaming freely through fields, scratching for worms and insects.
And on small regenerative farms, that’s exactly what happens.
But large-scale egg companies often operate very differently.
Some “pasture-raised” operations house 20,000 to 60,000 chickens inside large barns, with small doors that allow birds to access an outdoor yard.
Technically, that qualifies as pasture access.
But it doesn’t always look like the image most consumers have in their minds.
The Orange Yolk Trick
Many people believe darker egg yolks mean healthier chickens.
That can be true. Chickens that eat bugs and forage naturally tend to produce richer colored yolks.
But there’s a workaround.
Some producers add marigold powder to the feed, which deepens yolk color even if the birds never forage (Vital Farms).
The result?
Bright orange yolks that look pasture-raised.
Even when the chickens never ate a single bug.
The Question Big Egg Brands Can’t Answer
One farmer recently asked a simple question to one of the largest “pasture raised” egg brands in the country:
“Can you guarantee that the egg I’m cracking into my pan was laid by a chicken that has eaten a bug or blade of grass in its life?”
It’s a simple question.
And a very hard one for industrial systems to answer.
Why Local Farmers Are Different
One of the biggest differences between small farms and large food companies is transparency.
Most national brands do not allow the public to visit their farms (Vital Farms).
But many small farmers welcome it.
At Prairie Creek Farms, Nate built a small farm store next to the chicken pasture.
Families can eat breakfast there, eggs and toast, and then walk outside to see the chickens that laid those eggs.
That level of transparency builds trust.
And in the modern food system, trust is becoming rare.
The Future of Food Is Transparency
The reality is that most people simply don’t know how the food system works.
Not because they don’t care, but because the system is designed to be confusing.
Labels can be misleading.
Packaging can be persuasive.
And marketing often moves faster than truth.
But consumers are waking up.
And farmers who are willing to show their work, not just sell their products, are becoming more important than ever.
As Nate said:
“The future of food is transparency.”
And I couldn’t agree more.
My Advice
If you want eggs that truly match the best egg/meat:
Find a local farmer. (Google: local farms near me)
Research their website and call/email them.
Ask questions:
- "Can I come see your farm in person?"
- "What are your animals fed?"
- "Do you use antibiotics or hormones?"
Visit the farm.
See the animals.
Because when farmers are proud of how they raise their animals, they’re usually excited to show you.
Where Our Eggs Come From
If you’re local to Oklahoma or simply curious to learn more about how Nate raises his animals, you can visit his farm here:
They raise pasture-raised, corn & soy free eggs, 100% grass fed & finished beef, pasture raised corn & soy free pork & chicken using regenerative farming practices just outside Tulsa.