A Family Farm Rooted in Natural Practices

Echo Springs Farm has been feeding their community with homegrown produce, eggs, and meat since 2018. In just a few years, they’ve become an integral part of the local ecosystem, keeping their neighbors and loyal clientele flush with naturally and ethically raised food. 

People flock to them for their farm fresh eggs or pasture raised Cornish cross, but beyond their high-quality products, they’ve also garnered a reputation for being friendly and knowledgeable; the Yoders never shy away from answering questions, or showing customers how they can practice sustainability in their own lives.


But long before the Yoders began their joint business venture, Echo and Jonathan already had roots firmly established in the farming community. It was never a question of whether or not they would start their own farm—it was just a matter of waiting for the perfect time and the right opportunity.

A Day on the Farm                                             

When you pull down the gravel driveway of Echo Springs Farm, there’s no mistaking that this is a family business. Among the farm equipment and livestock, you’ll find hints of the young children who call this place home.

In the lush pasture surrounding the property, a children’s toy peeks through tall blades of grass. Next to the coop and run, a pink plastic shovel leans against the fence. It’s clear that a happy family lives here, and that farm life is deeply intertwined with family life.

At the end of the driveway, the Yoders have a small farm stand filled with whatever fresh produce they have on hand that day. In this case, zucchini, cantaloupes, onions, potatoes, and carrots are the pick of the day. By the time we arrived at 3pm, most of the fresh produce had already been purchased.


A mini fridge is stocked full with eggs of all kinds; their top seller being farm fresh chicken eggs. According to Echo, their eggs are what customers ask about the most. For people who want to venture outside the norm, there are several cartons of duck eggs and quail eggs. Like many farm stands, they follow an honor system—so far, the community has been good to them.

Just beyond the farm stand, there are several coops and small barns housing their livestock: rabbits, sheep, layers, and even a few peacocks. To the left, pasture raised poultry can be seen enjoying orchard grass and grain from the safety of a chicken tractor. On a separate area of land, their beef cattle roam on 11.5 acres of pasture.

How The Yoders Got Here

When people say they have "farming in their blood," Echo and Jonathan embody that to their core. When asked what generation they were, both of them paused, almost unsure how to respond. Echo answered first.

“Well, in America, I’m the 4th generation in my family. But Ireland is where my family is from, and farming stretches back as far as we can trace it.” Jonathan nods along in agreement, saying that his family is much the same. “I don’t know anybody in my family tree that didn’t have a farm. We’re just doing what we’ve always done.“

Jon began his journey working with started capons. The Yoders are among the first Myers Poultry clientele, working with us when we were still in our infancy in 1981.

Back then, we were known as Myers Started Capons, before officially becoming Myers Poultry in 1988.

Both of us had a shared passion for raising the best meat chickens, and working locally with members of our community.

Echo was raised on her family’s beef farm. She loves working with livestock of any kind, but she always had a desire to work with chickens. When Echo and Jonathan married in 2017, she finally got her wish.

“My wedding gift was 15 Red Sex Link hens and 4 ducks. It was a great present!” Echo was keen to start tending to a coop and raising layers for farm fresh eggs. At this stage, they were still just getting their business off the ground.

The newlyweds didn’t take much of a honeymoon (there’s no such thing as vacation when you’re running a farm) but they did take a quick mid-week trip to the Great Smoky Mountains to celebrate. After that, it was time to create what is now known as Echo Springs Farm.

The Birth of Echo Springs

Prior to establishing Echo Springs, both Echo and Jonathan were running their own separate businesses, so they were no stranger to the fast-paced, grueling nature of farm life. Jonathan was selling meat birds from his parent’s farm, and Echo was working on her own family’s farm.

Combining their joint businesses posed countless logistical setbacks. From purchasing the land to trying to make ends meet, it was almost over before it even started. In 2017, they were so deep in the red, Jonathan thought they may have to give up their dream entirely.

Things started to take a turn for the better when they adopted natural, regenerative farming practices. This allowed them to reuse and recycle things on the farm in a way that was beneficial for themselves, the land, and the animals. They haven’t looked back since.

How the Animals are Raised

The Yoders raise several types of livestock, but the meat birds and layers are their bread and butter. Aside from two stately peacocks patrolling the coops, all of the birds onsite are sourced from Myers Poultry.

Due to the harsh Pennsylvania winters, the Yoders prefer to keep cold hardy, high production chicken breeds that produce eggs year-round. The majority of the layers they have are brown egg layers.

In the two coops, you’ll find 9 different layer breeds, including Barred Rocks, Wyandottes, Black Sex Links, Red Sex links, and Buff Orpingtons, among others. In addition to selling their eggs, they also sell started pullets for locals who wish to start their own layer flocks.


When it comes to raising meat chickens, their preference has always been the Cornish Cross. Due to their hardiness and suitability for pasture-based systems, they regard them as one of the best chickens for meat. Echo and Jonathan Yoder have garnered such a loyal following, their customers eagerly sign up to be on the waitlist for pasture raised Cornish Cross, a staple on the farm. People are happy to wait.

Their meat birds are raised on pasture, rotated on different patches of orchard grass throughout the spring and summer. They house them in chicken tractors where they enjoy unlimited fresh grass, bugs, and sunshine. Throughout the year, they will raise and process about 350 chickens for meat.

As many growers know, raising pastured poultry requires much more work than using traditional farming methods.

This extra labor is worth it for the Yoders, as it’s more beneficial for the land, and produces a higher quality product they can be proud of. According to the Yoders, customers tout their chicken as the best they’ve ever had.

When raising pastured poultry, growers have to consider how they will keep their flock safe and protect them from predators. To combat the raccoons, foxes, fishers, and birds of prey, the Yoders have established a multi-tier system that has worked pretty well for them over the years.

Their first line of defense is a vocal guard donkey named Nemo (named by the kids, of course). If Nemo is around, nobody gets past him. They also have a family mastiff that roams the property and takes it upon himself to protect all the livestock. And with each coop housing 3 protective roosters, you can imagine the noise when anyone new enters the property.

The Community They Serve

Primarily, their products are sold directly to consumers. The Yoders are never short on customers, as there’s often a long waitlist for whole Cornish Cross chickens. Jonathan acknowledges that they could raise more livestock to accommodate all the demand, but they’re perfectly happy with the level of work they have now.

The Yoders sell directly to a handful of small businesses, one of them being Marie Lane Bakery in Bellefonte. They purchase fresh eggs from Echo Farms for their baked goods.

For goods they don’t make on their own, the Yoders support other local farms by offering honey and maple syrup sourced directly from growers in the area. In an inherently competitive field that can be pretty cutthroat, they choose not to gatekeep. If anything, the Yoders are actively trying to welcome more people into the fold.

Self-Sustainability Classes for All Walks of Life

Aside from supplying homegrown food to their neighbors and clients, they also give their community the gift of knowledge.

A few years ago, the Yoders started offering self-sustainability classes so people can learn how to be less reliant on the grocery store.

Jonathan says the only items they really purchase are a few kitchen staples, like milk, flour and sugar. Everything else in their fridge and pantry comes directly from the farm.


They’ve had several success stories from these classes, including a few students who went on to start their own homesteads and farms. As far as the Yoders are concerned, the more people they can include on this journey, the better.

The Future of Echo Springs Farm

The Yoder children are already following in their mom and dad’s footsteps; quite literally, you’ll find the 2 eldest kids just a few steps behind their parents at all times, overseeing daily farm duties, doing light farm chores, and helping with baby animals. Throughout our conversation, the parents took turns balancing a baby on their hip, the youngest and newest addition to the farm.

The oldest, Franny, is due to turn 5 in a month. Although quite young, she already has a clear sense of purpose regarding her role on the farm, and a level of maturity that was impressive for someone her age.

Throughout the interview, she led us around the farm, proudly showing off the different birds and livestock. She beamed over the chick brooder located in one of the coops, excited to be raising new life on the farm once again. 


Aside from the hands-on work Franny gets to do alongside her parents, she learns quite a bit from being in Clover Leaf Club, a 4-H program geared toward kids under 8. Both of her parents got their start in 4-H, so it's just another thing they'll be passing down to their kids.

If history is bound to repeat itself, then it can only be assumed that the Yoder children will be taking over farm operations someday.

A Lasting Partnership with Myers Poultry

Since 1981, we have worked with Jonathan Yoder and his family. When Jonathan and Echo married, he wanted to continue that partnership with us as they built their own separate business together. By working with us, they’re able to source high-quality Cornish Cross chicks for their farm, and provide a product they are proud of to their local community.

We appreciate the lasting relationships we have shared over the years, especially with local growers like Echo and Jonathan. And with any luck, we may continue to be working with Echo Springs Farm for many generations to come.

To learn more about Echo Springs, visit their website or follow their social media pages to learn what's happening around the farm. And if you drop them a line, Echo and Jonathan are bound to say hello.