Why did the chicken run across the road? To escape the desperate shoppers chasing it down for its eggs.
If you have shopped for groceries, or for gas for your car, or just about anything these days you are aware of an overall rise in prices. That is what happens during inflationary times, and eggs are no exception — or egg-ception — to spiraling prices. A recent New York Times online piece declares that in December 2022 the average price of a dozen eggs in the U.S. was $4.25, more than twice what they cost a year earlier. This is if you can even find a store with any eggs to sell.
The article cites various reasons why this is so. Farmers’ costs are up for all things related to raising chickens. Feeding the hens their usual diet of various grains costs more. Russia and Ukraine are major grain exporters so the war in Ukraine is putting a damper on global supply. Energy costs to run the farms and transport the eggs to market are up. These rising costs to raise hens and sell their eggs is certainly not chicken feed.
The scarcity of eggs is also related to the lack of hens to lay them. In 2022 a major outbreak of avian flu occurred in the early spring and again in the fall. This disease is often fatal and is highly contagious. About 10% of the egg-laying hen population, which translates to about 44 million birds, died during that time. Farmers had to eliminate flocks, clean the property and equipment and then wait for the new hens to grow and produce eggs. These outbreaks coincided with the 2022 Easter season and the October-December holiday season, the two times of the year when demand for eggs are greatest.
Economists say eggs are one of those high-demand items that resist pressure on people to cut back their purchases. When gas is high, people might drive a bit less, but people want their eggs. And we Americans love eggs. So much so that, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, each one of us consumes an average of 278 eggs per year. That’s a lotta frittata.
Becky and I count ourselves among those egg-loving Americans. At our house, we consume a mostly plant-based diet. We are not vegans, however (but we’re not judging), and make plenty of room for eggs and dairy in our kitchen. We are happy to have eggs for meals throughout the day — for a breakfast, for lunch and for dinner—although we usually limit it to one meal a day. I do my share of the cooking, and I especially enjoy coming across a new egg recipe and giving it a whirl (or a soft boil if that is what the recipe calls for).
In these eggs-traodinary times, My wife and I are fortunate to have two sources that help us satiate our ovoid desires. Our neighbors keep and raise chickens, and we are periodically blessed by their beneficence. Also, a church member brings a carton or four to Wednesday night Choir practice for purchase. And as a bonus the hens from both places are free, both to roam and to live without hormones. Again, blessings abound.
I am pretty sure the World’s Great Egg Crack Up will eventually work itself out. Perhaps before long egg lovers everywhere will once again be able to enjoy, at a reasonable price, one of life’s great gifts.
And that’s no yolk.
Norman Knight, a retired Clark-Pleasant Middle School teacher, writes this weekly column for the Daily Journal. Send comments to [email protected].
