About Me

I'm Maclaine Sorden, the founder of Meadowlark.

I've spent my career working at the intersection of agriculture, sustainability, and compliance. My path has taken me from working on farms in Iowa and Nicaragua, to inspecting organic operations across the United States and internationally, to managing agricultural programs and helping farmers and food businesses navigate increasingly complex standards and requirements.

That experience is what led me to build Meadowlark.

For years, my work has centered on organic and sustainability standards. As a USDA NOP inspector, Non-GMO Project Auditor, Regenerative Organic Certified Inspector, and Ecological Outcome Verification Auditor, I've had the opportunity to see hundreds of farms, processors, manufacturers, and other agricultural businesses from the inside. I've seen what works, where compliance systems tend to break down, and how difficult it can be for a business to translate a complicated standard into something that actually works day to day.

I believe compliance should be more than checking boxes.

The best systems make a business more organized, more transparent, and more resilient. They help people understand what is expected of them, identify problems before they become audit findings, and build processes that can grow with the business.

That is the philosophy behind Meadowlark.

My goal is to bring the perspective of an auditor together with the practical mindset of an agricultural professional. Whether a client is preparing for certification, strengthening its internal systems, responding to a compliance challenge, or trying to understand what a new standard means for its business, I want Meadowlark to provide straightforward, practical guidance.

I hold a Master of Landscape Architecture and an M.S. in Sustainable Agriculture, both from Iowa State University, along with degrees in Community and Regional Planning and Environmental Studies. I've also worked in agricultural education, conservation, international development, and farm based programming.

Today, Meadowlark is growing beyond traditional inspection work into a broader compliance and consulting practice serving food and agriculture businesses.

The mission is simple. Make complicated requirements easier to understand, easier to implement, and easier to maintain.

I'm looking forward to helping businesses build systems that work, not just on audit day, but every day.