Egg prices may see some relief soon, how long will it take?
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – Bird flu continues to wreak havoc not only here in Ohio, but all over the country, causing egg prices to soar.
The Buckeye State has been one of the hardest hit over the past year, with about a third of egg-laying chickens being lost to avian influenza.
As a result, wholesale eggs spiked to just above $8 a dozen earlier this month. In response, demand sharply fell off, and over the past week, so have prices, dropping to a 2025 low of about $3.50 a dozen.
But you won't see those prices in stores in the near future.'Wholesale prices have dropped roughly about half over the last month, month and a half,' said Dr. Jared Pincin, associate professor of economics at Cedarville University. 'Retail prices have still gone up, and part of that is simply because what retailers are selling the customer now is what they bought at wholesale prices weeks or even a month ago, depending on what their supply chain is.'But additional relief could be in sight. In late February, the USDA announced they were looking to import eggs from other countries, including Turkey, who plans to send 460 million eggs to the U.S. in the first half of the year, relieving the supply shortage.
While this could help with supply issues, the price may not decrease by much, due to shipping and import costs.
'It's still going to be less than what the current wholesale price is,' said Dr. Mark Jacobs, Professor of supply chain management at the University of Dayton. 'And because it's less than and there's a surplus then coming in, that's going to put downward pressure on that wholesale price.'With Easter a little over a month away, there is a lot of uncertainty about egg prices, but Dr. Pincin says that as long as bird flu cases don't ramp up, egg prices should not see additional increases.'There's going to be a little bit of an increase. It's not a huge amount. You know, if you look at past years, it's not as if the Easter demand, you know, doubles egg prices or anything like that. So it's a supply driven case right now, and that's really where the focus is,' said Pincin. Ohio has seen nearly 15 million commercial birds impacted by the bird flu this year alone.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Foreign aid cuts could impact agriculture industry in Pa. and other states, advocates say
Norwood Farms in Henry County, Tennessee, on Sept. 19, 2019. (USDA Photo by Lance Cheung) Federal cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development assistance programs will hurt American farmers and the safety of their crops, said several agricultural research leaders at a forum hosted by U.S. Senate Democrats. 'These cuts are clearly problematic for our standing in the world, our leadership in the world, our security, our trade relationships,' Sen. Amy Klobuchar said. 'But it also socks us here at home.' Klobuchar of Minnesota, Senate Agriculture Committee ranking member and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member, hosted a forum to discuss the relationship between foreign assistance programs and the U.S. agriculture market. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Through the Food for Peace program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture facilitates purchases of American crops and partners with non-governmental organizations to distribute these surplus crops to crisis areas around the world. Under the 2026 fiscal year budget request, this program will see major cuts, which may impact American farmers, forum speakers said. Additionally, the reduction of funding to agriculture innovation labs at public universities may leave U.S. crops vulnerable to future diseases. Dr. David Hughes, director of the USAID Innovation Lab on Current and Emerging Threats to Crops at Penn State University, said funding cuts impact his team's ability to study potential threats to U.S. agriculture in 'safe spaces' around the globe. His innovation lab, along with the Food Safety Program at Purdue University, the Livestock Systems Program at University of Florida and Peanut Production, a program addressing malnutrition at the University of Georgia, are among the universities that will see cuts under the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE. Hughes said his team members study threats to agriculture overseas, to 'quickly deploy' mechanisms against those threats when the time comes. One threat the team is studying is thrips, a small insect that poses a risk to the U.S. floral industry. His team uses a space in Nepal to reduce risk to local crops. Additionally, Hughes and his team at Penn State have been developing an artificial intelligence system called PlantVillage which provides advice to help farmers cope with climate change to increase the yield and profitability of their crops. He says many American and European scientists are 'decamping' to China because they fill a space of 'research excellence' left by cuts to research in the United States. 'You want to make sure if you do have an AI system giving knowledge to American farmers, you better be sure it's not a made-in-China system.' Hughes said. 'To be able to count on that institutional market that comes from food assistance is a significant benefit to the U.S. farmer,' said Thoric Cederstrom, International Food Aid representative on the U.S. Dry Bean Council. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Cederstrom said he doesn't think there is any organization that 'stands ready to fill that void,' left by USAID. He argues there is 'enlightened self-interest' in the purchase of American crops from farmers to be used as aid abroad. This purchase helps in 'stabilizing demand and prices for farmers across the heartland' and 'offset the risk of unpredictable market, trade disruptions and climate variability.' The USAID programs create a market that farms can respond to to turn a profit and 'generate income that keeps their businesses active.' 'There couldn't be a worse time to lower our guard,' said Kevin Shea, former administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service at USDA. 'African swine fever in the Dominican Republic, very close to our shores, very easily just one trip away from getting here. That's just one example. Foot and mouth disease, eradicated a century ago in America, is now appearing all around the world for the first time in many, many years. Another big concern for us. And screwworm has breached the barrier in Panama for many years and has made it into Mexico.' Shea says that the inspection service has lost nearly 1,300 or around 15% of the workforce has left 'in the past few months' and with the additional cuts under the FY26 budget request 'APHIS can not do its job.' Both Hughes and Shea talked about citrus greening disease, which has impacted the citrus industry in Florida as an example of the need for research and inspection programs. Sarah Charles, former assistant to the administrator of USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, said despite the cuts, the career staff left at USAID are working 'furiously' to move food kept in warehouses around that globe, 'even knowing they have been fired,' to areas in need. She also said the U.S. government response to crises, such as the 2025 Myanmar earthquake, has been 'limited' because the capacity has been 'taken offline by the Trump administration.' China showed up in a major capacity, but many of its outreach programs are through the government, so the networks built by the U.S. with non-governmental partners and civil society organizations have been 'abandoned,' Charles said. 'Food rations that could supply three and a half million people for a month are rotting in warehouses around the world because of USAID cuts,' Shaheen said. 'Sadly, people are going hungry while farmers are losing a critical buyer for their crops.' Tom Foley is an intern reporter for Iowa Capital Dispatch.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Jersey Fresh wine and beer could be coming to a shelf near you
New Jersey lawmakers advanced a bill on Thursday, June 12, 2025, that would allow wines and beer to feature 'Jersey Fresh' labels — if they're made with at least 51% of in-state produce, like grapes for wine. (Photo by Amalie Hindash for New Jersey Monitor) Wines and beer made with Garden State products could feature new 'Jersey Fresh' labels under a bill lawmakers advanced Thursday. 'I would love to encourage our producers of our spirits to get their products, get what they need, their supplies here in the state. Let's encourage it,' said Assemblywoman Andrea Katz (D-Burlington). The Jersey Fresh program began in the 1980s to inform consumers about produce grown in the state and promote buying from local businesses. In order for farmers to use a Jersey Fresh logo, they must show they meet U.S. Department of Agriculture standards and the USDA can conduct regular inspections. Under the bill, a beverage should be made with at least 51% of in-state produce — like potatoes for vodka or barley for beer — to qualify for the Jersey Fresh designation. Farmer John Hart told the committee the legislation would help small farms promote their products and bring farmers into another industry. While Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia (R-Sussex) called the bill a step in the right direction, she said that threshold is too high for businesses in New Jersey — home to harsh winters. She said she's heard from distilleries and breweries who find it's hard to source products year-round to meet Jersey Fresh standards. 'In off-season, we might be importing grapes in, so unless we're counting the water as being sourced in New Jersey, I think the 51% is too high of a standard,' Fantasia said. Katz said the standard is set by the agricultural industry. And the idea behind the bill was borne out of a New Jersey agricultural convention where none of the spirits had Jersey labeling on them. 'It's just a little bit of a unique label on that to show us that it's from New Jersey, and hopefully it will grow,' said Katz. Members of the Assembly Commerce, Economic Development and Agriculture Committee passed the bill by a 7-2 vote, with one abstention from Fantasia. The measure, introduced last month, does not yet have a Senate companion. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
Calavo Growers attracts takeover interest from unnamed party
Calavo Growers, the Nasdaq-listed fresh produce business, has received a takeover approach from an unidentified suitor. The Santa Paula, California-based supplier of avocados, tomatoes, papayas and guacamole, said the 'non-binding, indicative proposal' has been put on the table at $32 a share. Calavo Growers added in an official statement yesterday (11 June) that the offer consists of shares in the interested party and a cash portion. The proposal is subject to due diligence and financing, the company said. 'This non-binding proposal may or may not lead to a transaction and the company does not intend to comment or update further unless warranted,' it noted. However, the board of Calavo Growers is 'reviewing' the proposal in consultations with its legal and financial advisors. Calavo Growers' shares closed up 1.7% at $23.58 on the Nasdaq exchange yesterday, trimming a decline this year to 7.5%. Founded in 1924, the business markets its fresh fruit range under the Calavo brand and also supplies retailers with private label. Other customers include club stores, wholesalers and the foodservice channel. As well as guacamole, it also offers valued-added products such as salsas and dips. Led by president and CEO Lee Cole, the business sources avocados from USDA-certified growers in Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Chile, and the Dominican Republic, according to Calavo Growers' 2024 annual report. It operates a facility in Uruapan, Mexico, as well as the site in California. Earlier this week, the company issued its second-quarter results. Sales climbed 3.3% to $190.5m and were up 10.6% for the year so far at $344.9m. For the quarter to 30 April, adjusted EBITDA dropped 17.3% to $11.4m but increased 22.4% over the six months to $20.7m. Net income rose 13% to $6.9m for the quarter and turned to a year-to-date profit of $11.3m compared to a $0.2m loss a year earlier. Diluted EPS came in at $0.38 versus $0.36, and $0.63 against $0.22, for the quarter and year so far, respectively. "Calavo Growers attracts takeover interest from unnamed party" was originally created and published by Just Food, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
