Quote:The price for a dozen eggs continues climbing as explanations turn toward blaming bird flu. However, the avian influenza may explain a recent spike, but the longer duration of escalating food price commodities is much deeper than momentary fluctuations. These are energy dependent products.

As CTH noted last year, watch egg prices as a general gauge for overall food inflation (eggs hit almost every process in the supply chain), and watch potato availability to gauge overall row crop stability (staple commodity on every plate, venue).

Additionally, as previously noted, as energy prices continue rising pay attention to the prices on ‘organic’ products. Rising energy prices drive up costs for large commercially processed food supplies at a much higher rate than smaller organic production. People are starting to notice the ‘organic’ option is almost at price parity.

Wall Street Journal – […] Wholesale prices of Midwest large eggs hit a record $5.36 a dozen in December, according to the research firm Urner Barry. Retail egg prices have increased more than any other supermarket item so far this year, climbing more than 30% from January to early December compared with the same period a year earlier, and outpacing overall food and beverage prices, according to the data firm Information Resources Inc.

For supermarkets, eggs are a staple product that most consumers pick up on trips to the grocery store, similar to milk and butter. To maintain store traffic, grocers said they have been sacrificing some profits on eggs to keep prices for consumers competitive. Some suppliers are projecting potential relief in price by February or March, but cold weather could hamper production in the near term, executives said.


[…] Grocery prices have continued to increase this year because of what companies have said are higher costs of labor, ingredients and logistics, helping supermarkets generate higher sales and profits. Those factors have propelled egg prices, too. As eggs get more costly, some supermarkets are selling more organic eggs that are sometimes less expensive than conventional varieties, while suppliers say consumer demand has remained steady despite higher prices. (read more)

Additionally, the overall price for a Christmas meal is much higher than it was in 2021.

(Via Fox) […] The holiday dinner grocery basket is estimated to cost an average of $60.29, according to data from Datasembly. That’s 16.4% higher than last year’s basket when comparing the same exact basket of goods. It’s also double the year-over-year increase reported last year at 8.2%, according to the retail data firm.

[…] The 13 products included stuffing mix, corn, green beans, frozen apple pie, whipped topping, butter, cranberry sauce, bone-in spiral-cut ham, egg nog, homestyle biscuits, russet potatoes, white frozen young turkey and homestyle roasted turkey gravy.

According to the data, biscuits had the highest price increase year-over-year, rising 47.7%. Butter and russet potatoes weren’t far behind with prices rising 38% and 32.6%, respectively, the data showed. (read more)

Keep in mind, this week you should be seeing competitive pricing on beef, specifically standing rib roasts. Retailers will be competing with each other on the staple table items, and this creates an opportunity to buy and freeze beef at a lower price.

2023 will be a year when shopping smart will become increasingly important. Prices are likely to continue rising; one thing is certain, as long as energy costs keep increasing, food prices will not drop. Use the season(s) and holiday sales as opportunities to purchase specific items at lower prices; then store, freeze or can at home for use when the price of those same items is much higher.

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Paid $5.79 for 18 eggs today. Would have cost around $2 not that long ago.

Milk and chicken prices have really climbed lately as well.

(12-22-2022 08:37 PM)pkptigers07 Wrote:  Paid $5.79 for 18 eggs today. Would have cost around $2 not that long ago.

Milk and chicken prices have really climbed lately as well.

We aint seen nothing yet. Buckle up...

I paid 0.00 for 11 eggs today.

Of course I have 16 egg layers.

(12-22-2022 10:24 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  I paid 0.00 for 11 eggs today.

Of course I have 16 egg layers.

Well, they still require water, food and housing, lol. And some amount of effort. Still a good deal, though.

We get 24 eggs for $7. It is what it is.

We have a lady at work who brings in 5-6 dozen a week for whoever wants them. Don’t you know the gov just hates people having their own gardens, chickens, and folks who hunt and fish for some of their food.

My hens lay 5-6 eggs a day on average. Thankful for those gals! That is enough for us.

(12-23-2022 10:13 AM)ECUGrad07 Wrote:  My hens lay 5-6 eggs a day on average. Thankful for those gals! That is enough for us.

That's awesome. Do you have to refrigerate those eggs? I know the US is one of the few nations that refrigerates eggs. Wasn't sure if natural eggs needed to be refrigerated.

(12-23-2022 10:19 AM)VA49er Wrote:  

(12-23-2022 10:13 AM)ECUGrad07 Wrote:  My hens lay 5-6 eggs a day on average. Thankful for those gals! That is enough for us.

That's awesome. Do you have to refrigerate those eggs? I know the US is one of the few nations that refrigerates eggs. Wasn't sure if natural eggs needed to be refrigerated.

We used to, but realized we didn't have to. They keep for weeks unrefrigerated.

We have a couple of these on the counter.

(12-23-2022 10:34 AM)ECUGrad07 Wrote:  

(12-23-2022 10:19 AM)VA49er Wrote:  

(12-23-2022 10:13 AM)ECUGrad07 Wrote:  My hens lay 5-6 eggs a day on average. Thankful for those gals! That is enough for us.

That's awesome. Do you have to refrigerate those eggs? I know the US is one of the few nations that refrigerates eggs. Wasn't sure if natural eggs needed to be refrigerated.

We used to, but realized we didn't have to. They keep for weeks unrefrigerated.

We have a couple of these on the counter.

From what I've read, the reason commercial US eggs have to be refrigerated is that the eggs are sprayed with some antimicrobial solution that actually destroys the egg's natural protection. If the US process didn't do that, we wouldn't need to refrigerate the eggs. Other nations don't use that process.

(12-23-2022 10:19 AM)VA49er Wrote:  

(12-23-2022 10:13 AM)ECUGrad07 Wrote:  My hens lay 5-6 eggs a day on average. Thankful for those gals! That is enough for us.

That's awesome. Do you have to refrigerate those eggs? I know the US is one of the few nations that refrigerates eggs. Wasn't sure if natural eggs needed to be refrigerated.

I had a summer job once as a telephone book deliveryman in a very rural area.

I saw a trailer that had one gross dozen of eggs in cartons sitting outside on the front porch (144 dozen). It was 90 degrees out.

(12-23-2022 11:01 AM)VA49er Wrote:  

(12-23-2022 10:34 AM)ECUGrad07 Wrote:  

(12-23-2022 10:19 AM)VA49er Wrote:  

(12-23-2022 10:13 AM)ECUGrad07 Wrote:  My hens lay 5-6 eggs a day on average. Thankful for those gals! That is enough for us.

That's awesome. Do you have to refrigerate those eggs? I know the US is one of the few nations that refrigerates eggs. Wasn't sure if natural eggs needed to be refrigerated.

We used to, but realized we didn't have to. They keep for weeks unrefrigerated.

We have a couple of these on the counter.

From what I've read, the reason commercial US eggs have to be refrigerated is that the eggs are sprayed with some antimicrobial solution that actually destroys the egg's natural protection. If the US process didn't do that, we wouldn't need to refrigerate the eggs. Other nations don't use that process.

Most European nations vaccinate their chickens against Salmonella. The US has the resources to refrigerate eggs through the supply chain so thats what we decided to do instead of requiring chickens be vaccinated.

There is something amazing about a farm fresh egg. I don't know if it's psychological, but I swear they taste better.

(12-23-2022 11:35 AM)bobdizole Wrote:  

(12-23-2022 11:01 AM)VA49er Wrote:  

(12-23-2022 10:34 AM)ECUGrad07 Wrote:  

(12-23-2022 10:19 AM)VA49er Wrote:  

(12-23-2022 10:13 AM)ECUGrad07 Wrote:  My hens lay 5-6 eggs a day on average. Thankful for those gals! That is enough for us.

That's awesome. Do you have to refrigerate those eggs? I know the US is one of the few nations that refrigerates eggs. Wasn't sure if natural eggs needed to be refrigerated.

We used to, but realized we didn't have to. They keep for weeks unrefrigerated.

We have a couple of these on the counter.

From what I've read, the reason commercial US eggs have to be refrigerated is that the eggs are sprayed with some antimicrobial solution that actually destroys the egg's natural protection. If the US process didn't do that, we wouldn't need to refrigerate the eggs. Other nations don't use that process.

Most European nations vaccinate their chickens against Salmonella. The US has the resources to refrigerate eggs through the supply chain so thats what we decided to do instead of requiring chickens be vaccinated.

There is something amazing about a farm fresh egg. I don't know if it's psychological, but I swear they taste better.

I think so too. I have a buddy that has hens in a rolling pen/henhouse that he moves every day in a field to graze a new area for bugs..ect. I get eggs from him when I visit. I think they are richer than supermarket eggs. I get a kick out of watching them. BTW..The old "pecking order" saying is true. You can pick out exactly which chickens will head into the henhouse in order. They will line up and strut in the same order every time...boss being first..taking the highest perch in the house.

Farm fresh eggs absolutely do taste better, although I know people that won't eat them for some reason.

We'll use the farm fresh eggs for eating fried/scrambled eggs, etc. If we have to supplement with store bought eggs, we'll use those for baking.

(12-23-2022 11:35 AM)bobdizole Wrote:  There is something amazing about a farm fresh egg. I don't know if it's psychological, but I swear they taste better.

They are, cause none of those silly preservative things.. just you, a chicken, and a chicken doing what it does naturally.

We used to have 6 to 8 chickens regulary, so we'd literally be rolling in eggs, especially if you were lucky enough to have ones that could lay twice a day.. but wife got tired of having to go out in the morning to take care of them, so she quit raising them.

When I head down to my mother's this weekend, i can't wait to see how she's got her chicken portion of the farm set up...

(12-23-2022 06:24 AM)TripleA Wrote:  

(12-22-2022 10:24 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  I paid 0.00 for 11 eggs today.

Of course I have 16 egg layers.

Well, they still require water, food and housing, lol. And some amount of effort. Still a good deal, though.

Depends on how many eggs a day they use and even if that number is the 11 eggs a day they produce....

going to take many years to just recoup the housing cost assuming they are not free range chickens. I if you consider the time its always going to be a net loss....

$3.00 of eggs at todays cost and about $1.25 most of the last 10 years. Then the cost of feed has went up and we haven't even got to the biggest drawback. The smell of chicken shite on a hot summers day and night.

No one is making a trip to the store for eggs alone over a couple times a year so all of the above cost is real cost. I forgot the biggest cost....I believe he lives in northern Michigan so keeping those chickens above freezing in the long winter months.

$5 for 18 dont sound too bad

I paid $4.66 for 18 eggs at Wal-Mart a few weeks ago. I always thought eggs were undervalued for what you get before this price hike.

(12-22-2022 10:24 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  I paid 0.00 for 11 eggs today.

Of course I have 16 egg layers.

Mine have quit laying for now. cage free at the store today was $7.50 a dozen.