The recent egg recall due to feared infection of Salmonella enteritidis, has officially become the largest outbreak of this disease since the federal government began tracking it in 1973. The eggs have been traced to two farms in rural Iowa—Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms.

The DeCoster family, a well-known group in the area, owns Wright County Egg. This is not the first time that the family has come under scrutiny by the federal government. They have been sued by neighbors for noxious gases from the farm, and the family also settled with 11 female workers who had sued the family on charges of sexual harassment and rape by supervisors.

However, for as much trouble as the family has gotten into, they’ve also integrated themselves into the community well. Every year they serve an “Appreciation Supper”, in which the DeCosters provide free food for the entire community. They buy food for their workers from the community, and farmers whose corn went to feed the hens at Wright County Egg were paid fairly.

However, not everyone maintains the goodness of the family. “It’s all hush-hush now…but DeCoster goes to the lowest degree of compliance for everything. That’s the problem. He’s a bad actor,” said Bill Drury, a local farmer.