Rose Acre Farms
Rose Acre Farms is the second-largest egg producer in the United States, a privately held, family-owned company headquartered in Seymour, Indiana. Founded by the Rust family in the 1930s, it operates in seven states with about 26 million laying hens. Rose Acre produces conventional, cage-free, and specialty shell eggs as well as liquid and dried egg products, sold under brands including Coburn Farms, Country Daybreak, Glenview, and Sunshine Farms and under retailers' store brands.
Score generated by AI agents based on publicly cited evidence and reviewed by the project maintainer. Not independently validated. Last assessed 2026-10-01. Score revised 2026-10-01: 52 → 38.
Score History
Timeline events are AI-curated from public reporting. Score trajectory is derived from documented events.
The Rust family started with 900 hens near Seymour, Indiana, and David Rust sold eggs at Indianapolis markets from 1943. By 1965 the farm had 100,000 hens and an early inline processing operation, and by 1975 it passed one million layers. Growth came from building and automating its own farms, with no record of anticompetitive conduct or consumer harm.
In 1984 David Rust began adding a $10 million, 1.6-million-hen farm each year, building four by 1987 in Indiana and Iowa with loans, bonds and his own money. Rival processors led by A.A. Poultry won a jury verdict that Rose Acre's discount pricing was predatory, but the judge set it aside and the Seventh Circuit affirmed in 1989. The company was becoming a national-scale producer, but its conduct toward consumers was unremarkable.
Lois Rust and her children forced David Rust out of management in 1989. In 1990 Salmonella enteritidis outbreaks traced to three Rose Acre farms sickened about 450 people, and USDA restrictions forced the diversion of about 700 million eggs over 25 months; Rose Acre later sued the government for compensation. It built its first egg-breaking plant and bought National Egg Products in 1998, consolidating its place as the No. 2 U.S. producer.
From 1999-2000 Rose Acre and other UEP members ran coordinated flock reductions, early molts and below-cost exports; a jury later found Rose Acre liable for a supply conspiracy over 2004-2008 that raised prices for food manufacturers. UEP's Animal Care Certified logo, used on eggs from caged hens, was ruled misleading by the advertising industry's self-regulator in 2003. Egg buyers sued in 2008, and in December 2009 Rose Acre bought Crystal Farms' 2.5-million-hen egg business.
In April 2010 Humane Society investigators filmed about 3.92 million caged hens at three Rose Acre farms in Iowa, stacked up to eight tiers high, and HSUS filed an FTC complaint over the company's welfare claims. Kraft, Kellogg, General Mills and Nestle sued Rose Acre in 2011, the DOJ sued it in 2012 over discriminatory work-authorization demands, and it defeated North Carolina's air-permit demand when the legislature changed the law in 2012. It began a long cage-free conversion in 2013.
Rose Acre recalled 206.7 million eggs from its Hyde County, North Carolina farm in April 2018 after Salmonella Braenderup sickened 45 people; FDA inspectors found rodent infestation and issued a warning letter, and the company hired lobbyists on the recall. It settled the DOJ discrimination suit that August. In court it won: juries rejected conspiracy claims by direct purchasers in 2018 and by 12 supermarket chains in 2019. California's Proposition 12 set a cage-free deadline for 2022.
Avian flu from February 2022 drove retail egg prices to a record $6.23 a dozen by March 2025, and lawmakers and advocates asked whether producers including Rose Acre were using it as cover. In November 2023 a jury found Rose Acre liable in the Kraft supply-conspiracy case, and the court entered a $43.6 million trebled judgment in November 2024. Rose Acre broke ground on a $100 million cage-free farm in Arizona, named Tony Wesner CEO in October 2024 and lost more than six million birds to avian flu in early 2025.
The DOJ's egg-price probe became public in March 2025 and wholesale prices fell more than 60% within weeks. Class actions filed in late 2025 named Rose Acre and were centralized in Wisconsin in February 2026, but the DOJ's June 2026 case over Urner Barry manipulation targeted three other producers. By 2026 an egg glut had pushed prices to 20-year lows, and Rose Acre named outside director Skip Becker board chair in April 2026.
Alternatives
Pasture-raised eggs from a certified B Corp whose hens get at least 108 square feet of pasture each under the Certified Humane pasture-raised standard, a genuine contrast to Rose Acre's industrial-scale caged and cage-free operations. Vital Farms was not a defendant in the 2023 Kraft price-fixing verdict against Rose Acre. Widely available at major grocery stores, though it costs considerably more than conventional eggs.
Small-scale egg producers at farmers markets and food co-ops operate outside the industrial pricing benchmarks that Rose Acre and peers are accused of using to coordinate prices. You can verify conditions directly and avoid both Rose Acre's own brands (Coburn Farms, Country Daybreak, Sunshine Farms) and the store brands it supplies. Find local farms through LocalHarvest.
Dimensional Breakdown
Summaries below were written by AI agents based on the cited evidence. They are editorial interpretations, not independent research findings.
Dimension History
Timeline (51 events)
Rust family begins egg farming near Seymour, Indiana
The Rust family started a farm near Seymour, Indiana, growing vegetables and building three hen houses holding 900 chickens. Son David Rust began selling eggs and corn at an Indianapolis farmer's market in 1943, marking the beginning of Rose Acre Farms' commercial operations.
Rose Acre reaches 100,000 hens, begins industrialization
By 1965 Rose Acre Farms had grown to 100,000 laying hens, transitioning from a family farm to a commercial egg producer. The company devised the first inline egg processing operation in the country in the 1960s, cutting costs through automation while improving food safety.
Rose Acre surpasses one million laying hens
Rose Acre Farms exceeded the one million hen mark under David Rust's leadership, establishing itself as a significant player in the national egg industry. This scale put Rose Acre among the largest U.S. producers and marked the transition to true industrial-scale egg production.
David Rust launches one-farm-per-year expansion program
At age 58, David Rust announced plans to add one new egg farm every year for the next ten years, each costing $10 million and housing over 1.6 million hens. By 1987 he had built four new farms, three in Indiana and one near Winterset, Iowa. The aggressive expansion was funded through bank loans, industrial development bonds, and Rust's personal funds.
Lois Rust ousts David Rust, takes control of Rose Acre
After David Rust left his wife for a one-time Polish exchange student, Lois Rust, the company's corporate secretary, filed for divorce and aligned with their seven children to force David out of management in 1989. Lois took over with a 49% ownership stake; David remained a shareholder. Working Woman magazine ranked Rose Acre the 25th largest firm run by a woman in the U.S. in 1992.
A.A. Poultry predatory pricing lawsuit dismissed on appeal
The Seventh Circuit affirmed judgment for Rose Acre in an antitrust suit by A.A. Poultry Farms and other rival egg processors, which alleged predatory pricing and price discrimination on 'specials' eggs. A jury had awarded $9.3 million ($27.9 million trebled), but the district judge granted judgment notwithstanding the verdict; the appeals court agreed, finding Rose Acre could not have recouped below-cost pricing in an unconcentrated egg market.
Salmonella outbreaks sicken 450 people, trigger USDA restrictions
Three separate outbreaks of Salmonella enteritidis traced to hen houses on three of Rose Acre's Indiana farms sickened approximately 450 people in three states; one outbreak struck a convention in Chicago. The USDA imposed interstate sales restrictions beginning October 5, 1990, preventing Rose Acre from selling fresh eggs from the affected houses.
Rose Acre builds first egg breaking and processing plant
One of Lois Rust's first projects after taking control was a new egg-breaker plant at the Cort Acres farm in southern Indiana, which processed eggs into liquid egg product. It was a first step toward what became a major revenue source, enabling Rose Acre to process eggs into liquid and dried products.
USDA lifts last sales restrictions after 25-month diversion
The final USDA sales restrictions on Rose Acre's contaminated farms were lifted, ending a 25-month period during which Rose Acre had to divert approximately 700 million eggs from the table egg market to pasteurization. The company later sued the U.S. government claiming the restrictions constituted a Fifth Amendment taking, winning $5.4 million at trial before the award was overturned on appeal.
Rose Acre acquires National Egg Products
Rose Acre Farms acquired National Egg Products, expanding its production capacity and consolidating its position as the second-largest U.S. egg producer. The same year, Rose Acre introduced Golden Premium eggs with enhanced vitamin E and omega-3 content, marking early entry into specialty egg products.
Egg producers' alleged supply-reduction program begins
Class plaintiffs alleged that Rose Acre, Cal-Maine and other producers, through United Egg Producers, began coordinated supply cuts in 1999-2000: an immediate 5% flock molt and 5% flock reduction, followed by a 5% emergency flock reduction in 2001, early molt and hen disposal plans in 2002 and mid-2004, a 2005 commitment to early disposal or 5% flock cuts, and exports of eggs at a loss. A 2023 jury later found Rose Acre liable for a supply conspiracy in 2004-2008.
UEP launches Animal Care Certified program with industry self-certification
United Egg Producers introduced the Animal Care Certified labeling program for eggs, covering producers of over 80% of U.S. production including Rose Acre. In 2003 Compassion Over Killing challenged the logo; the Better Business Bureau's National Advertising Division ruled it misleading (affirmed on appeal), and in 2005, with an FTC petition pending, UEP renamed the program 'UEP Certified.'
Class action antitrust lawsuit filed against egg producers
Egg buyers filed class actions, consolidated as In re Processed Egg Products Antitrust Litigation (No. 08-md-02002) in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, against Rose Acre, Cal-Maine and other major producers, alleging a conspiracy to restrict egg supply and inflate prices. The direct-purchaser case ran for more than a decade, through a 2018 trial and a 2020 appeal.
North Carolina regulators demand air emissions permit for Hyde County farm
When Rose Acre applied for permit renewal in 2009, the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources demanded a Clean Water Act NPDES permit for air emissions from the Hyde County facility housing 3.5 million hens. The state argued dust, feathers, and ammonia from poultry house fans constituted a 'discharge' affecting surface waters, triggering a multi-year legal battle.
Rose Acre acquires Crystal Farms shell egg business
Rose Acre Farms purchased the shell egg business of Crystal Farms in Chestnut Mountain, Georgia, adding 2.5 million laying hens and related production and processing facilities. The acquisition expanded Rose Acre's geographic footprint into the Southeast and further consolidated the U.S. egg industry.
HSUS undercover investigation exposes battery cage conditions at Iowa farms
The Humane Society of the United States released undercover findings from three Rose Acre facilities in Winterset, Stuart and Guthrie Center, Iowa, where about 3.92 million laying hens were caged, stacked up to eight levels high at Guthrie Center. Investigators documented broken bones, hens trapped unable to reach food or water, a manure pit a worker said had not been cleaned in two years, and worker claims that some hens were blinded by ammonia.
HSUS files FTC complaint over Rose Acre's misleading welfare claims
Following the undercover investigation, HSUS filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission alleging Rose Acre was making unlawfully false and misleading representations about hen treatment. The company's website claimed it provided a 'humane and friendly environment' and that hens had 'plenty of space to move around and socialize,' contradicting the documented battery cage conditions.
Kraft, Kellogg, General Mills, and Nestle file direct antitrust suit
Major food manufacturers Kraft Heinz, Kellogg, General Mills, and Nestle split from the class action to file a direct lawsuit against Rose Acre, Cal-Maine, UEP, and U.S. Egg Marketers in the Northern District of Illinois, alleging a conspiracy to limit hen populations and kill hens earlier than normal to inflate egg prices between 1998 and 2008.
North Carolina legislature blocks air emissions regulation of poultry farms
In response to the Rose Acre regulatory battle, the North Carolina legislature passed Senate Bill 810, signed by the governor in August 2012, stipulating that a 'discharge of waste' cannot be interpreted to include an air emission. NC DENR subsequently settled and withdrew its position, ending the multi-year dispute in Rose Acre's favor.
DOJ sues Rose Acre over discriminatory work-authorization demands
The Justice Department's amended complaint alleged that from at least June 2009 to December 2011 Rose Acre routinely required work-authorized non-U.S. citizens to present a green card or Employment Authorization Document, while letting U.S. citizens choose their documents, in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act's anti-discrimination provision.
Rose Acre begins 30-year cage-free transition program
Rose Acre began a 30-year effort to refit its facilities to cage-free standards. By late 2020 the company said about 20% of its production was cage-free, and it was later building cage-free farms in Arizona and Indiana.
Rose Acre exceeds hazardous air pollutant limits at Seymour soybean facility
Rose Acre's soybean oil extraction plant in Seymour, Indiana exceeded compliance ratios for hazardous air pollutant emissions in October, November and December 2016 and April 2017. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management issued an Agreed Order with a $24,000 civil penalty.
Rose Acre recalls 206.7 million eggs due to Salmonella contamination
Rose Acre Farms voluntarily recalled 206,749,248 shell eggs from its Hyde County, North Carolina facility due to contamination with Salmonella Braenderup. The eggs were sold under multiple brand names including Coburn Farms, Country Daybreak, Crystal Farms, Food Lion, Glenview, Great Value, and Sunshine Farms across nine states. Forty-five people were infected across 10 states, with 11 hospitalizations.
FDA inspection reveals rodent infestation at Hyde County facility
An FDA inspection from March 26 through April 11, 2018 documented an ongoing rodent infestation at Rose Acre's Hyde County farm: live rodents in several laying houses and pits, dead rodent carcasses, condensation dripping from ceilings onto production equipment, and at least 25 flying insects in the egg processing facility. Pest records since September 2017 showed rodent levels above the farm's own action threshold.
Rose Acre hires Alston & Bird to lobby on its egg recall
Rose Acre registered Alston & Bird as its federal lobbyist effective June 6, 2018, on issues related to its voluntary egg recall, paying $70,000 in the second quarter of 2018. The lobbyists listed included a former FDA associate commissioner for legislative affairs. Its only other federal lobbying on record was $60,000 in 2010 on food-safety and humane-handling legislation.
Jury clears Rose Acre in Pennsylvania class-action trial
After a five-week trial in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, a jury found that a conspiracy to reduce egg supply existed and that Rose Acre participated, but that it did not unreasonably restrain trade, so judgment was entered for the defendants; co-defendants R.W. Sauder and Ohio Fresh Eggs were also cleared. The class had sought more than $1 billion. The Third Circuit affirmed in 2020.
Rose Acre settles DOJ immigration-related discrimination suit for $70,000
Rose Acre settled the Justice Department's 2012 lawsuit by agreeing to pay a $70,000 civil penalty, train employees on the INA's anti-discrimination provision and accept two years of departmental monitoring. The settlement also barred retaliation against employees over the case.
FDA issues warning letter to Rose Acre over egg safety violations
The FDA issued a formal warning letter to CEO Marcus Rust over the Hyde County facility's violations of the Egg Safety Rule. The letter detailed Salmonella Braenderup in the processing area, large rodent infestations it blamed on poor employee practices, and cleaning without sanitizers. Rose Acre told the FDA it was diverting the farm's eggs to processing, depopulating all flocks, and cleaning and disinfecting all laying houses.
California voters pass Proposition 12 mandating cage-free eggs by 2022
California passed Proposition 12, requiring eggs sold in the state to come from cage-free hens (per UEP 2017 cage-free guidelines) by 2022. The law applied to Rose Acre and all out-of-state producers selling into California, accelerating the need for cage-free conversion.
Jury rejects 12 supermarket chains' conspiracy claims against Rose Acre
A Pennsylvania federal jury rejected claims by 12 supermarket chains, including Kroger, Publix, Safeway and Albertsons, that Rose Acre and two industry groups conspired to cut egg supply, including through an animal-welfare program allegedly used as a pretext. The plaintiffs had planned to seek about $1 billion before trebling. It was Rose Acre's second defense verdict in two years.
Rose Acre depopulates White County farm; 94 jobs affected
Rose Acre Farms notified the Indiana Department of Workforce Development that it would close the layer houses at its White County Egg Farm effective June 14, 2021. The farm could house up to 1.4 million caged hens (about 900,000 at the time) and listed 94 employees; the company said it would try to place them at other facilities. It cited high grain prices and a relative oversupply of eggs, and said it had no plans to repopulate the old houses.
HPAI outbreak begins devastating U.S. egg flocks
Highly pathogenic avian influenza was confirmed in a commercial turkey flock in Indiana in February 2022, beginning the current U.S. outbreak. Table-egg-laying flocks have accounted for about 75% of domestic poultry losses, and the average U.S. retail egg price reached a record $6.23 per dozen in March 2025.
Farm Action urges FTC to investigate egg industry price gouging
Farm Action sent a letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan citing apparent price gouging and price coordination by dominant producers such as Cal-Maine, Rose Acre, Versova and Hillandale. It said egg prices had risen 138% (from $1.79 to $4.25 a dozen) while Cal-Maine reported a ten-fold increase in gross profits, and called the conduct 'organized theft.'
Senator Warren demands answers from Rose Acre on egg price hikes
Senator Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Katie Porter sent letters to Rose Acre Farms and four other top egg producers asking them to explain elevated egg prices. They noted retail egg prices had risen 59.9% year over year as of December 2022, outpacing all other food categories, and questioned the extent to which producers may be using avian flu fears as cover to pad their profits.
Rose Acre breaks ground on $100 million Desert Valley Egg Farm in Arizona
Rose Acre held a groundbreaking for its Desert Valley Egg Farm in La Paz County, Arizona, with construction to start in fall 2023 and completion planned for 2026. The US$100 million farm is to house 2.2 million cage-free laying hens and create about 150 jobs, near the company's existing 2,600-acre Lone Cactus Farm.
John Rust announces U.S. Senate candidacy, later disqualified
Former Rose Acre chairman John Rust, Marcus Rust's brother, announced his candidacy for the 2024 Republican nomination for Indiana's U.S. Senate seat. The Indiana Election Commission unanimously ruled him ineligible because he had voted in a Democratic primary in 2012. His opponent Jim Banks used the Rose Acre price-fixing verdict as a central campaign attack.
Federal jury finds Rose Acre liable in price-fixing conspiracy (2004-2008)
A federal jury in the Northern District of Illinois found that Rose Acre Farms, Cal-Maine Foods, United Egg Producers and U.S. Egg Marketers conspired to limit egg supply to raise prices, with damages from 2004 to 2008. The conspiracy involved exporting eggs to cut domestic supply and limiting hen numbers through cage space, early slaughter and flock reduction. A separate damages verdict followed on December 1.
Jury awards food manufacturers $17.7 million in damages
In the damages phase, the jury awarded $17.7 million to Kraft, Kellogg, General Mills and Nestle, which reports said could be tripled to more than $53 million under federal antitrust law. Rose Acre said it would 'continue to explore and consider all legal options, including post-trial relief and appeal.' The lawsuit had been filed in 2011.
Tony Wesner replaces Marcus Rust as CEO and board chairman
Rose Acre Farms announced that Tony Wesner, who joined the company in 1981 and had served as COO since 2011, was elected CEO and chairman, succeeding Marcus Rust. Rust moved to an advisory role as 'chief visionary officer.' Wesner is not a member of the Rust family, which retains ownership.
Court enters $43.6 million trebled judgment in Kraft egg case
The Northern District of Illinois entered final judgment against Rose Acre, Cal-Maine and the other defendants, jointly and severally, totaling $43.6 million after trebling. The court stayed enforcement pending post-judgment motions and appeal once the defendants posted security; Cal-Maine posted about $23.9 million and another defendant the rest. The defendants' motions for judgment as a matter of law or a new trial were still pending as of September 2026.
Bird flu strikes Rose Acre's Seymour facility, affecting 2.8 million birds
Rose Acre detected highly pathogenic avian influenza at its Cort Acre Egg Farm in Seymour, Indiana. The outbreak affected 2.8 million birds, the largest single flock impacted in Indiana since HPAI was first found in the state. CEO Tony Wesner later testified that Rose Acre had lost more than six million birds to HPAI since January 1, 2025, representing 25% of production.
Rose Acre CEO testifies before Senate urging HPAI vaccination
Tony Wesner testified before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry on behalf of United Egg Producers, advocating HPAI vaccination for laying hens. He said Rose Acre had lost more than six million birds since January 1, about 25% of production, and that the industry had to fight the disease 'with offense, not defense.'
Rose Acre purchases Bullhead City property for western U.S. processing expansion
Rose Acre purchased a 3.64-acre property in Bullhead City, Arizona, to convert into a breaking and liquid egg processing facility, expanding capacity by about two million eggs and 200,000 pounds of liquid egg products per day. The property has over 30,000 square feet of warehouse space, and renovations will add another 30,000 square feet.
DOJ Antitrust Division opens investigation into egg price collusion
The U.S. Department of Justice opened a preliminary civil antitrust probe into whether Cal-Maine, Rose Acre and other producers colluded to raise egg prices or limit supply, with reports that subpoenas were being prepared. Midwest wholesale prices for large eggs had hit a record $8.41 per dozen on February 28. Wholesale prices then fell more than 60% within about two weeks.
Rose Acre excluded from USDA avian flu relief payments
Despite losing 2.6 million birds in the January outbreak, Rose Acre was absent from recent USDA avian flu relief payments while competitors received tens of millions: Cal-Maine received $43 million, Hillandale $53 million, and Versova over $100 million. The exclusion may relate to new biosecurity audit requirements under provisional rules adopted in fall 2024, though the specific reason remained unclear.
Warren and Banks urge DOJ to deepen egg price investigation
Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Jim Banks (R-Ind.) sent a bipartisan letter supporting the DOJ investigation and urging a deeper inquiry. They noted egg prices began falling from record peaks only after the probe was announced, and asked whether large producers' purchases of laying hens were meant to extend supply shortages and whether the sudden wholesale price drop reflected price coordination.
Multiple class action lawsuits filed naming Rose Acre in egg price-fixing
A wave of federal class actions filed in Indiana, Wisconsin and Illinois named Rose Acre, Cal-Maine and other producers, with some also naming Urner Barry (Expana). The suits allege coordinated price-fixing from 2022 through March 2025, using avian flu as a pretext and Urner Barry's benchmark as a coordination mechanism. One complaint says the producer defendants control more than 90% of U.S. egg production.
Egg price-fixing class actions centralized as In re Shell Eggs Antitrust Litigation
The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation centralized six class actions against Rose Acre, Cal-Maine, Daybreak, Hillandale, Versova, United Egg Producers, Urner Barry and Egg Clearinghouse in the Western District of Wisconsin (MDL No. 3175), finding they share allegations that defendants exploited the avian flu outbreak and manipulated Urner Barry's benchmark prices. Direct and indirect purchaser classes are both represented.
Outside director Skip Becker elected Rose Acre board chair
Rose Acre elected Vincent 'Skip' Becker, an Arizona economic-development consultant who has sat on its board since 2017, as chair, succeeding CEO Tony Wesner, who stays on the board. The announcement said the company has more than 2,500 team members and that the Rust family, now in its fourth generation, still owns it.
DOJ and 17 states settle benchmark-manipulation case with three producers; Rose Acre not named
The Justice Department and 17 state attorneys general sued and settled with Cal-Maine, Hickman's and Versova, alleging they coordinated bids from June 2022 to March 2025 to inflate Urner Barry's daily egg price quotations. The settlements total $3.3 million plus about 53 million donated eggs and impose compliance programs; the companies denied wrongdoing. Rose Acre, which a class action complaint says the DOJ had subpoenaed in 2025, was neither a defendant nor a named co-conspirator.
Egg prices fall to 20-year lows as flocks rebuild
Large eggs delivered to Midwest warehouses averaged about 81 cents a dozen from January to August 2026, 38% below the inflation-adjusted 20-year average, and breaking-stock eggs hit a 20-year nominal low of 16 cents. Iowa State's Egg Industry Center put the producer value at about 48 cents a dozen, well below the cost of production, after flocks rebuilt from the 2022-2025 avian flu losses.
Evidence (49 citations)
D1: User Value Erosion
D2: Business Customer Exploitation
D3: Shareholder Extraction
D4: Lock-in & Switching Costs
D5: Twiddling & Algorithmic Opacity
D6: Dark Patterns
D7: Advertising & Monetization Pressure
D8: Competitive Conduct
D9: Labor & Governance
D10: Regulatory & Legal Posture
Scoring Log (6 entries)
Checked 89 items + prose. 38 verified, 38 corrected (17 date-only), 12 re-sourced, 1 removed (Zippia revenue page). Invented/contradicted: (1) '65% profit increase' attributed to Rose Acre was Cal-Maine's (Warren press release); (2) '~15% of U.S. egg supply' (Food & Power: ~6% in 2020); (3) Marcus Rust's 'challenge to Jim Banks' was John Rust's (WATTPoultry/Fortune); (4) A.A. Poultry suit 'dismissed' - jury verdict was overturned on JNOV (881 F.2d 1396); (5) 2018 trial 'judge ruled participation insufficient' - jury found no unreasonable restraint (3d Cir. 2020). Unsupported claims trimmed: Feb 13 1989 board meeting, chlorine dioxide/$50k per house, Lone Cactus built for Prop 12, Wesner vaccine quote, 'first non-family CEO', 'Love Your Eggs' brand, $608.7M 2024 peak revenue, 46% top-five share, Monon location, Prop 2 motive, breaker plant as crisis response, Bullhead spring-2026 start. Also fixed 'guilty' to 'liable' (civil verdict), takings-suit history, wholesale drop (>60% not ~50%), 20% cage-free dated to 2020.
52->38. Since Feb 2026: In re Shell Eggs MDL centralized (Feb 2026, Rose Acre a defendant); DOJ/17-state Urner Barry case settled June 2026 with Cal-Maine, Versova, Hickman's, Rose Acre not named; Kraft $43.6M judgment still on post-trial motions; egg prices at 20-year lows; outside director Becker named board chair (Apr 2026). D1 6->3 (event: 2026 price collapse; correction: no Rose Acre-specific pricing evidence), D2 6->4 (correction: 6% share not 15%, DOJ left it out; recalibration: won 2018/2019 trials), D3 5->3 (correction: 65% profit and $608.7M revenue were not Rose Acre's), D4 4->3 (correction/recalibration: 6% share, commodity switching), D6 5->4 (recalibration: no labeling suits against it), D7 4->2 (recalibration: pricing double-counted, little advertising), D8 8->6 (event: DOJ case omitted it; correction: judgment $43.6M not $53M; recalibration: not near-monopoly), D10 5->4 (event: DOJ probe ended without a case; recalibration: minimal lobbying). D5, D9 unchanged. Eras: 'Family Farm Origins' relabeled 'Family Farm Growth'; 'Salmonella & Succession' re-dated 1990-01-01->1989-01-01 (Lois Rust takeover); 'HSUS Expose & Litigation' re-dated 2010-01-01->2010-04-15; 'Salmonella Crisis' re-dated 2018-01-01->2018-04-13 (recall); 'Avian Flu Profiteering' re-dated 2022-01-01->2022-02-01 and relabeled 'Avian Flu Price Spike'; current era re-dated 2026-02-15->2025-03-08 (DOJ probe) and relabeled 'Probe and Price Collapse'; 'Aggressive Expansion' and 'Supply Conspiracy Era' kept. Corrected timeline event 'trebled to $53 million'. Historical gap-fills: DOJ INA suit (2012) and settlement (2018), 2018 recall lobbying, 2019 supermarket verdict, Nov 2024 judgment.
Removed typed-in site scores from alternatives text (they go stale on re-score; the page shows live scores). No other changes.
Vital Farms verified active B Corp, score 30 confirmed. Local farms alternative is a category, not a product, but editorially sound for eggs.