Actually...
I haven't researched this, but I bet you could make a case that small producers who don't use "factory" methods to raise chickens and collect eggs might have a smaller chance of developing the conditions that encourage salmonella. Might be worth looking into.
My grandparents raised chickens in a large yard, and collected eggs by hand. When I was little I tried pulling those damn eggs out from under the chickens, and the same chickens that had no problem with Grandma doing that would peck me.