Why are eggs so expensive in Whatcom County? Local farmers weigh in
The price for a dozen eggs has become a national conversation starter, as people across the country are seeing price increases that can be shocking.
Eggs prices have started to see a slight decrease in price, according to a Jan. 13 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, although many states are still experiencing high prices.
The Consumer Price Index for eggs in December 2022 jumped 160% compared to the previous year, averaging $4.25 per dozen, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. California has some of the highest prices in the country with large shell eggs costing $6.72 per dozen.
In the northwest region of the country, the average cost for large brown eggs was $3.66 per dozen in December, according to the USDA.
The price increase is attributed to avian influenza, or bird flu, spreading through flocks, causing egg shortages and an increased demand for eggs. In Washington state, a total of 1,018,302 birds have been affected in outbreaks as of Jan. 6, according to the USDA.
Whatcom egg farmers
The increase in egg prices also affects Whatcom County residents and local farmers, such as farmers from Ten Fold Farm, Oak Meadows Farm and Osprey Hill Farm.
Oak Meadows Farm had to raise egg prices in January because of the increasing costs of feed and freight, but also would need to increase costs further if minimum wage, cartons and feed increased further, according to David Whittaker, owner of the Ferndale farm.
“I do not claim to be an expert on the egg shortage or why the cost of eggs is going up, but to me, the main cause seems to be too much consolidation in the egg industry so that even if just a handful of farms get bird flu, it has huge ripples through the supply chain. If there were hundreds of thousands of small farms each raising a few thousand chickens on pasture instead of a few hundred farms with millions of birds, bird flu would not be such a big deal. That is why I advocate for finding a local farm to buy your eggs and meat from,” Whittaker wrote in an email to The Bellingham Herald.
“Having bird flu found on your farm is practically a death sentence for a small farm,” Whittaker added.
Poultry and eggs sales values in Whatcom County were withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations, according to the USDA’s 2017 census of agriculture. However, Whatcom was ranked 8th for poultry and egg production in Washington counties, according to the most recent USDA report.
Bird flu has affected 730 flocks across the country, including one commercial flock and 39 backyard flocks in Washington, according to a Tuesday, Jan. 17, USDA report.
“If the bird flu comes to our farm it would be devastating. The USDA and WA Dept of Agriculture require ALL poultry on-site to be euthanized, and they come out and perform it. That means it’s not only our egg layers, but our broiler chickens, the ducks, and all the turkeys that are grown for Thanksgiving. If there is a single case, that is what will happen. No eggs can be sold either due to the virus. All feed has to be destroyed. We would then have to wait a minimum of 120 days to start fresh with new baby chicks, which would take 6-8 months to reach maturity and start laying again,” Tiffany Bell, owner of Ten Fold Farm, wrote in an email to The Herald.
When farms experience any amount of bird flu, it takes about a year to get back up and running with a sufficient new flock, according to Bell.
Farmers are also highly impacted by rising prices of materials and other business costs, according to Anna Martin, co-owner of Osprey Hill Farm in Acme.
“When it comes to pricing, we don’t have the cushion that other industries do so we’re not in the position to absorb rising costs. Any time we experience a cost increase we need to raise the price of our end product if we want to stay in business. Over the last few years almost all of our inputs have gone up in price: egg cartons, egg labels, boxes, tape, bags, our feed costs have gone up by 40% from 2020-2022, and we’ve voluntarily increased our wages to staff. Utilities are on the rise, and fuel for both machinery and vehicles has gone up in price which is a consideration in the cost of distributing our products,” Martin wrote in an email.
Cost of eggs
The Herald has tracked the monthly price of eggs in Bellingham from April 2022 through January. The Herald compared prices between local grocery stores to find the most affordable prices.
Egg prices fluctuated throughout 2022, with high prices this month.
Prices remained high on Tuesday at Bellingham grocery stores. A dozen large white eggs at Walmart costs $2.87. At Safeway, a dozen large white cage-free eggs cost $4.89. Whole Foods Market’s large white eggs cost $3.49 per dozen. Fred Meyer had a dozen large white eggs for $2.99.
The price for a dozen eggs varies depending on egg size, grade and color.
