Our History
It was Christmas 1933, and brothers Ty and LeRoy Zeigler were on tour the midwest US with their big band orchestra, The Scotch Highlanders. Being away with newborns at home, they realized it was time for them to reconsider their musical careers and settle in along the bristling Conewago Creek in rural Pennsylvania. They had taken a keen eye to a neglected water-powered grist mill along the creek, and with a renewed passion, the two entrepreneurs set off on their next new endeavor.
Ty, LeRoy & The Scotch Highlanders
The first Zeigler feeds were produced in 1935 during the throes of the of the country’s great depression. However, the old mill sprang to life supplying livestock feeds to local farmers and an expanding market over the next 3 decades. In 1967, Dr. Tom Zeigler (LeRoy’s son) assumed leadership of the company, transitioning from commodity-based feeds to emphasis on research and development of specialty feeds for pets, aquaculture, and biomedical research.
Today, in its 3rd generation of leadership under Matt and Tim Zeigler, the company has expanded globally with a renewed entrepreneurial spirit toward nutritional technology and innovation. With a dedicated research facility (Z-ARC), Zeigler produces over 300 products, exports to over 50 countries, and has 5 international feed mill partnerships. Throughout our generations, success has been defined by the ongoing vision to bring value to the lives of our customers, employees, and communities.
Early feed mill operations
Zeigler Milestones
We are proud of the many important milestones we have achieved as a team throughout our history. We invite you to explore our accomplishments below and look forward to working together to achieve new milestones that may benefit our customers and industries.
1935
Company founded by brothers LeRoy & Ty Zeigler as a local producer of livestock feeds after several years leading their big band orchestra, Ty-LeRoy & the Scotch Highlanders.
1955
Manufactured first feeds for Aquaculture, used primarily for recreational stocking programs.
1967
Dr. Thomas Zeigler assumes 2nd generation leadership with strategic shift toward research & development of specialty animal and aquatic feeds.
1975
Developed “open-formula” biomedical research diets in conjunction with the National Institutes of Health.
1983
First company to develop technology to achieve desired water stability for shrimp feeds.
1985
Introduced nutritionally complete line of specialty pet and zoo diets in conjunction with research conducted at the Smithsonian Institute.
1986
First licensed partnership in Panama for production of aquaculture feeds into Central & South America.
1988
In conjunction with Kansas State University, developed and commercialized Ascorbyl Tripolyphosphate (Stay C) – a stable form of Vitamin C used in animal feeds today.
1992
Expanded U.S. operations to 2nd facility for drug-free production of specialty and aquatic feeds.
1998
Development of microencapsulated liquid feed technologies for a complete line of shrimp hatchery products.
Dr. Tom Zeigler and wife, Freda
Non-medicated feed plant
2001
Received ISO-9001 Certification for both U.S. manufacturing facilities.
2002
Awarded nutritional portion of Advanced Technology Program (ATP) Grant from Department of Commerce for development of shrimp production technology in the U.S.
2003
Developed bio-secure shrimp maturation feed to mitigate disease vectors from open-water food sources.
2005
Introduced first aquatic diets used for biomedical research.
2008
Developed all-natural feed additive to improve animal health and protect against undesirable pathogens (Vpak).
2009
Developed 100% bio-secure Artemia replacement diet for shrimp (EZ Artemia).
2011
Tim and Matt Zeigler assume 3rd generation leadership with emphasis on feed process technology and nutritional innovation.
2013
Awarded “National Exporter of the Year” from both U.S. Department of Commerce and Small Business Administration for expansion into over 45 countries.
2016
Zeigler Aquaculture Research Center (Z-ARC) opens at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute to expand R&D capabilities.
2017
Formed 5th licensed partnership for production of aquaculture feeds in Mexico (2), Ecuador, India, and Egypt.
2018
Introduced Precision Feeding Program (PFP) and Economic Modeling to optimize feed applications for improved sustainability and profitability.
2021
Launched Pro-Start finfish starter feeds containing probiotics and immune enhancers to promote development in fry and juvenile fish.
2022
2nd Generation feeds, EZ Artemia Ultra and Redi-Mate, developed to further enhance health and reproductive performance in current production systems.
2023
Installation of vacuum coating processing technology for enhanced lipid application and addition of heat-sensitive feed additives.
2024
Celebrating 90 years.
Tim & Matt Zeigler
