Eggs for Easter

Eggs for Easter

Eggs For Easter. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Line On Agriculture.

Earlier we reported on a shortage of organic eggs for the Easter holiday. American Farm Bureau recently released its Semi-Annual Marketbasket Survey which show retail egg prices are historically high at $1.98 per dozen. Economist John Anderson says that's nearly an 8 percent increase from a year ago.

ANDERSON: That’s actually, by a few cents, the highest price that we've seen on eggs in our survey. So, historically a new number for us.

Although retail prices have increased, there will be plenty of eggs available for consumers to fill Easter baskets and for Passover celebrations. Egg production has steadily increased during the past few years, according to Anderson, and forecasts for this year show another increase.

ANDERSON: So on the supply side, I think farmers are responding to the market. We’re getting more production online and we’re seeing production increase, it's just that we haven't really caught up with demand because demand for eggs has been really strong.

Anderson says one reason for strong egg demand is the high price of all meat items from historically small supplies of those products.

ANDERSON: The other part of it is that we've had a really strong export market for eggs. A lot of that has to do with Mexico. A couple of years ago, Mexico had some problems with avian influenza, and they were forced to make up the difference with eggs from the United States. And so we've had really strong exports in general, but especially to Mexico.

Anderson says as Mexican egg production starts to get back on track, he believes exports to Mexico will begin to taper off.

That’s today’s Line On Agriculture. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.

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