No Corn, No Soy: The Truth About Feed, Fats, and What Really Matters

As consumers become more educated about food quality, one topic has begun circulating online in the health space: corn and soy free fed livestock. New marketing labels like “no corn, no soy” are starting to show up — and while the intention behind them is often good, the conversation has become oversimplified from our point of view.

At Wanda Farms, we believe transparency matters more than trends. So yes, we do supplement corn and soy to our chickens and hogs. We aren’t trying to hide anything. However, this post explains why the no corn/soy label exists, what actually impacts nutrition, and how we are approaching feed decisions with research vs just trying to get the latest marketing claims.

Why the No Corn, No Soy Debate Exploded

The last couple years, there’s been a growing push for animal proteins produced without corn and soy in their diet. Beginning in 2025, I started to see some brands pop up and a handful of health influencers pushing this message. I’ve been slowly looking into this subject and considering our options, but slow to jump on and make sure to spend some time making an educated decision, before jumping onto the latest trend. 

However, last week, there was a recent backlash against the large billion dollar publicly traded company, Vital Eggs. Highlighting the growing consumer distrust of industrial agriculture and namely, exacerbated this growing concern of feeding corn and soy. (My thoughts are here: Is Vital Eggs full of Bull@#$%!). 

Consumers, as they should be, are mainly concerned about corn and soy because it’s the most common industrial monocrop here in the U.S. and is closely associated with: 

• Heavy pesticide use
• Genetically modified seeds
• Highly processed animal feeds

For many shoppers, “no corn, no soy” feels like a shortcut to cleaner eggs or animal proteins in general.

But removing ingredients without understanding nutrition does not automatically create healthier eggs and meat.

Non-GMO Feed: The First Line in Meat and Egg Quality

One of the most common concerns surrounding corn and soy is genetic modification.

That concern is valid.

According to the USDA, over 90% of U.S. corn and soy acreage is genetically engineered, for herbicide tolerance. That’s why at Wanda Farms:

We only use non-GMO ingredients — always.

This distinction matters far more than simply removing corn or soy altogether. Non-GMO sourcing eliminates many of the chemical and environmental concerns consumers associate with these crops, while still allowing flexibility to formulate nutritionally complete rations. 

While I understand, some folks have autoimmune issues with corn and soy. I don’t think this is the majority of our population. More than likely it’s the GMOs/chemicals causing these health problems. 

Remember the Native indians introduced us to Maiz (corn) and soy was introduced to us from China hundreds of years ago. While they have been developed significantly over the last few hundred years, they are NOT inherently evil crops. These crops have been a part of civilization for thousands of years.

The Real Nutritional Issue: PUFA Content & Fat Balance

Much of the no corn/no soy movement stems from a legitimate health discussion around PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids).

What Are PUFAs?

PUFAs include both:

• Omega-6 fatty acids – Alpha-Linolenic acid (ALA) 
• Omega-3 fatty acids –  Linoleic Acid (LA)

Both are essential fats that our body cannot produce, meaning the body needs them through diet — but the ratio matters.

The modern American diets tend to be heavily skewed toward omega-6s, often exceeding ratios of 15:1 or higher. Some research suggests upwards of 25:1 due to our highly processed food diets.  Researchers suggest a healthier balance is much closer to 1:1 to 4:1 as our ancestors most likely ate as hunter and gatherers. 

When omega-6 intake greatly outweighs omega-3, it can promote inflammatory pathways, oxidative stress, and poorer fat balance in the body.

Omega-6 Is Not the Enemy — Imbalance Is

There’s a growing misconception online that omega-6 fats are inherently harmful.

That is not supported by evidence.

Harvard Health Publishing explains that omega-6 fatty acids:

• Are essential for normal growth and development
• Can reduce LDL (“bad”) cholesterol
• Are associated with lower cardiovascular risk when consumed in appropriate balance

The real concern is excessive omega-6 intake without sufficient omega-3s, not omega-6 itself.
Source: Harvard Health Publishing – No need to avoid healthy omega-6 fats
https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/no-need-to-avoid-healthy-omega-6-fats

The goal is not to eliminate omega-6, but to restore a healthier omega-3 to omega-6 ratio.

This means there’s 2 sides of the equation to balance this as a consumer. Decrease omega 6 fats or increase omega 3’s in one’s diet to get it a closer to the preferred ration of 1:1-1:4 

I believe this is one reason fish have been so commonly suggested to be in consumers' diets 1-2x per week.

Analyze your diet based the ratios for most common foods consumed here: https://blog.algaecal.com/omega3-omega6-chart/

Why Pasture-Raised Eggs and Meat: Produce Healthy Fat Profiles

At Wanda Farms, our chickens are pasture-raised, meaning the supplement grain is only one part of their diet. On pasture, chickens naturally consume:

• Grasses and forages
• Clover and legumes
• Insects and larvae
• Seeds and plant matter
• Soil-based minerals

Peer-reviewed research shows that pasture access significantly increases omega-3 content in eggs and meat, regardless of whether corn or soy is included in the ration.

Research online consistently shows pasture raised has a healthier omega-3 to omega-6 balance than conventional eggs and meat. Research from Penn State found pastured eggs contain over twice the omega-3 fats and less than half the omega-6:omega-3 ratio of conventional eggs. Here’s the ranges you could expect based on research: 

• Eggs (pastured) ~ range 1:3 to 1:8 ratio
• Eggs (conventional) ~ range 1:19 to 1:25 ratio
• Chicken (pastured): ~ 1:3 to 1:8 ratio
• Chicken (conventional) ~ 1:30 ratio
• Pork (Pastured) ~ 1:5
• Pork (Conventional) ~ 1:14 ratio
• Beef (grass-fed only) ~ 1:1 to 1:2
• Beef (grain fed) ~ 1:8

While these ratios are not perfect 1:1 with the exception of grass-fed beef. I think it tells the story of how a diverse diet on pasture makes a huge difference nutritionally. 

Bottom line:
👉 Pasture access has a huge impact on nutrition than solely individual grains.

The Hidden Problem: “No Corn, No Soy” ≠ Low PUFA Eggs

Here’s something rarely discussed:

Some no-corn, no-soy feeds can still rely on high-PUFA grains.

Alternative grains such as:

• Wheat
• Oats
• Barley
• Rice bran
• Sunflower meal

…can still be high in omega-6 fatty acids. For example, a sunflower meal is 4x higher than corn! 

So while the label changes, the fatty acid profile of the product may not improve.

This is why simply eliminating corn and soy does not solve the core nutritional issue.

The focus must be:

• Overall fat composition
• Omega-3 inclusion
• Pasture access
• Total dietary balance

So while there’s research out there sharing that the omega fat ratios are closer to 1:1 with a no corn/no soy diet. It’s not a sure thing just by eliminating these 2 grains. 

Where Wanda Farms Is Heading: Improving Omega Balance 

We understand why customers are asking these deeper questions — and we’ve been asking them too.

We have been actively researching feed strategies that further improve omega balance. However we’ve seen a few issues that have prevented us from moving forward: 

1. No corn/soy rations that do not solve the Omega 3:6 ratio problem by still containing high amounts of Omega 6 feed ingredients. 
   1. The big one is Sunflower meal (4-5x higher in Omega 6 than corn)
2. Rations that we’ve seen other local farmers experiment with have seen health problems from their chickens due to malnutrition leading to significant deaths and slow growth rates/little egg production. We are NOT going to compromise on animal welfare for nutrition perfection. Let alone take financial risks as a farm business trying to seek perfection. 
3. Sourcing issues. To this day, the only creditable feed mill with this type of ration I have been able to find is located in Texas. The feed is priced 3x our cost plus trucking to our farm. Which from my calculations would result in our poultry products needing to be doubled in price  – for me I can say the juice is worth the squeeze for a little more nutritional difference at this point. 
4. As mentioned above, we want to ensure we are sourcing grains locally because locally sourced is one of our core values. Unfortunately, corn and soy are the most common grains grown here in the midwest. I have reached out to a handful of other farms that advertise no corn/soy feed, but when asked where they source this, the answers are it's proprietary info or no response. 

Here's the progress we have made by actively talking to our local organic feed mill about improving our existing ration. 

Omega-3–Rich Rations

• Incorporating more omega-3 feed sources like “Flax seed”
• Finding alternatives grains that are accessible locally with lower ratios
• Feeding higher amounts of Fish Meal – this can affect meat and egg flavor to taste fishy! 

Research published in The Journal of Nutrition shows that flax supplementation:

• Increases omega-3 levels in eggs
• Improves omega-3 to omega-6 ratios
• Supports overall egg nutrient density

Source: The Journal of Nutrition – Flaxseed supplementation in laying hens
https://academic.oup.com/jn

Our long-term goal is to move closer to a 1:1 omega-3 to omega-6 ratio, without compromising:

• Chicken health
• Significantly reducing livestock performance
• Nutritional completeness
• Significant increased costs – affecting consumer access 

If we can find a feed ration that makes sense, we plan to experiment with this on a smaller trial basis. However, I would like to do performance evaluation and nutritional studies to make sure these decisions are made with real data, not just to capture a market share based on a ration ingredient claim. 

Your Farmer’s Final Thoughts: Regenerative farming

I believe this issue of nutritional imbalance shows the deep issues of our current industrial food system. It’s not that Industrial farmers are intentionally trying to feed us corn and soy. 

We’ve prioritized corn and soy development over the years with major food corporations and big ag groups lobbying to keep it front and center as agriculture’s main crops of production. What I mean by that is, the government continues to subsidize these products leading to corn and soy being low risk for farmers to grow, and therefore what’s readily available as feed for livestock farmers and consumer products.  

I do think over time as consumers are more vocal about these issues and demand shifts for better quality food. Policy will change to incentivize other grains and products for production. I’ve said it many times, but my personal vision would be that 50% of the midwest be converted back to prairie land producing ruminant livestock again, not row crops! 

I know beef gets a bad wrap in the media, but grass fed beef is by far the healthiest food for us as a consumer. If we want to get back to ancestral eating. Grassfed ruminant animals were our primary meats for consumption, not poultry and pork. Not that we didn’t eat poultry and pork, and that they were inherently bad, but it was just not something that could be mass produced like it is today now that grains have been industrialized. At the end of the day, I can’t see how we as a nation go back to our ancestral way of eating as hunter/gatherers at this point, but hopefully we seek balance through intentional eating. Which is exactly what we preach and share with our farm’s mission to nourish our local community. 

If you have not read Omivores dilemma by Michael Pollen. Please read this book. I think it’s the right perspective on understanding there’s such a thing as finding a balance in our food system to continue feeding our growing population, but with higher quality standards.

I personally do not want to chase marketing labels just to get the latest market share, but believe in thought out research-driven decisions and continuous improvement.

That’s the standard we will hold ourselves to at Wanda Farms.