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Jeff Smith, Cackle Hatchery
I’m the third generation to run Cackle Hatchery. My son Nathaniel is the fourth. That still hits me sometimes – ninety years in the same family, same location. That’s not something I planned. If anything, I tried to run from it. But life has a way of pulling you places, even if it’s not where you thought you were going.
I grew up here in Lebanon. Worked at the hatchery through high school. But my dad, he didn’t communicate much. So things were hard. I had ideas, but the answer was usually no. That didn’t work for me. I needed to find my own way.
So I left. I went into insurance, traveled a four-state area, even went to a Lutheran college in Chicago to become a Director of Christian Education. Thought maybe I’d end up doing ministry full time. We even formed a little youth ministry team. It was two musicians and me, running the soundboard, sharing testimony, putting on skits and worship nights. It was one of the best things I’ve ever done. It taught me what it feels like to live with purpose.
But then life took another turn, and I ended up back in the business world. Married, had kids, went through some hard losses. I lost my first son, Christian, at birth. Held him in my arms, knowing he’d never take a breath. I don’t think you ever recover from that, not fully.
Eventually I came back to the hatchery full time. My parents needed help, and I felt the weight of the legacy more than I ever had before. But I came back with a clear idea of the kind of leader I wanted to be – one who listens, who invites others into the process. I don’t want my son to walk the same tightrope I did.
I never pushed any of my kids to take this over. In fact, I used to say I wouldn’t wish this business on my worst enemy. It’s tough. It can consume you. It did me. Two marriages later, I can tell you that. When you put everything you have into something, other things suffer. I’ve told Nathaniel he’s got to find balance or this place will eat him alive. I never could figure that out.
This isn’t just a business, it’s my mission field. Faith has always been central for me. I wear something every day to remind me what really matters. We employ about 100 people. We contract with 85 farmers. Some stay a season, some stay a lifetime. Either way, we’re part of their story. And that matters to me. My life has taught me not to put too much stock in stuff – houses, businesses, they’re all temporary. What matters is how you treat people and what you’re building that lasts beyond you. It’s not easy. We’re facing our toughest year yet because of postal issues we can’t control. We’ve lost birds in transit, our reviews are suffering, and customers are heartbroken. And when you care about people, every lost chick feels personal. The post office is our lifeline, and when things go wrong there it’s not just a business problem. It’s someone’s 4-H project, or their backyard egg business, or a kid’s birthday gift. That’s the downside of running a business like a family. You carry all the weight.
But there’s also joy in it. Watching Nathaniel come into his own. Seeing him pour himself into this place not because I asked him to, but because he believes in it. That means more than I can say. Nathaniel’s done more than I ever expected. He’s brought new ideas, tackled challenges head-on, and taken the legacy seriously. Statistically, third and fourth generations fail at running a business like this. He knows that and uses it as fuel.
People ask if I thought I’d end up here. Truth is, I think I always knew. I just didn’t know what it would cost, or how much it would give me in return. If there’s a message in my life, maybe it’s this: don’t pour your soul into something that breaks everything else. But if you can build something good and still be whole at the end of it, that’s what makes it worth it.
Jeff Smith, Cackle Hatchery
