The Eggpocalypse Once Again

Did we learn anything from two years ago?

I was washing eggs a couple days ago and discovered that we either have an over-achieving hen OR an ostrich has invaded the hen flock. Since I have not noticed any ostriches running around lately, I am going to guess we have a hen that has decided her current goal is to produce eggs well beyond the size a jumbo carton will carry.

And, on that same day, I received multiple emails from potential new customers asking if we have eggs. It was tempting to offer them AN egg and see what they did with this monster.

Giant egg aside, we (as in the collective “we”) are looking at rising egg prices and egg shortages due to continuing issues with avian influenza. Suddenly, our $4 price for a dozen eggs looks like a bargain and some folks are discovering farms like ours still exist.

Despite everything.

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A Lesson Learned at the Genuine Faux Farm

We’ve actually been through more than one Eggpocalypse during our time raising poultry at the Genuine Faux Farm. One of them actually coincided with the year we deliberately reduced our hen flock because demand for our eggs had decreased and we couldn’t afford to stay at that production scale.

Each time, we noticed that we were getting orders from people we hadn’t heard from for quite some time. And, other folks who knew of our operation or were told about our operation sought us out. Eggs weren’t reliably in the grocery and convenience stores they patronized or the prices were reaching levels that made them unhappy.

So, they came to farms like ours, seeking our products because suddenly, they couldn’t get it from somewhere else. Each time this has occurred I wondered - do they recognize exactly how fortunate they are that our farm, and others like ours, continue to raise laying hens, collect eggs, wash them, package them and offer them up for sale?

Based on how quickly some of these folks disappeared once the “crisis” was over, I would say the answer is “no.”

It’s the nature of a crisis. We’re so happy it’s over that we rush to get back to our old habits as soon as we can so we can forget it even happened. But producers, like us, don’t forget - because forgetting is a good way to repeat mistakes that could be devastating to a farm like ours.

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Remembering those who keep GFF afloat

One mistake we made during a prior Eggpocalypse was that we tried to stick with our “first come, first served” order approach for our egg sales. But with the rapidly increasing orders, there was no way we were going to be able to fill them all. As a result, some of the new buyers, operating in crisis mode, were always at the front of the line. That left people who had regularly purchased from us, Eggpocalypse or not, for years without eggs.

We tried to adjust for this by limiting the number of eggs people could order, trying to get everyone some eggs. While this alleviated the problem somewhat, it still did not recognize an important truth about small-scale farming businesses.

Every customer is not equal when it comes to a small farm.

Now, before you all go huffing out of the room, please let me explain this bombastic and purposefully provacative statement.

The main reason this small farm - and many others like it - is STILL around for this Eggpocalypse is because we have a base of loyal customers who have regularly and consistently purchased from us. THEY are a key reason why we can accept new customers today and it is their investment in us that should be rewarded at times like this.

And that’s why we changed our egg distribution decision-making tree. It’s going to be first-come, first-served at its base. But, once we have more orders than our production can handle, the long-term customers get priority. They helped keep us going when egg orders were down, so we intend to keep them safe from things like the Eggpocalypse.

And if a few new folks join the group, that’s wonderful too! Hopefully, some of them stay with us once the crisis is over.

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Is it a shortage, or just the price per dozen?

The average price for a dozen eggs last December was reported as being $4.15 in the US, the highest its been since the last Avian Influenza fueled egg shortage when the average cost got as high as $4.83. Locally, we have noticed egg prices as high as $7 in grocery stores. Others have reported higher prices to us.

Meanwhile, the price for our eggs has consistently been $4 since 2019. When we started selling eggs about twenty years ago, our price was $3, with a special 4 for $10 when we our inventory started to overwhelm our storage at the farm.

A typical production year at our farm is 1500 to 2000 dozen and it is not a simple matter to increase production. There is no switch to flip when demand for our eggs goes up (or down). But, this is a volume that fits our operation - which includes our infrastructure and our time.

I told you all of this to help you understand how we calculate egg prices. We base our price off of the expenses we must incur to raise these birds and keep them healthy and happy. We pay these prices whether or not all of our eggs sell. That price includes compensation for our time and effort.

Because we have a relatively static capacity and an established farm, we are able to provide ourselves some security with our consistent price if demand fluctuates. For example, if we calculate our price well and demand does not keep up with supply, it does not horribly impact our business if we donate a nice batch of eggs to the food pantry. In fact, we LIKE to plan things out so we can do this.

Similarly, our consistent egg prices provide customers with some a certain amount of security. They know that our prices will not bounce around like a yoyo based on exterior market factors.

Simply put, we ask people to pay the price we need in order to produce excellent eggs and feel like we are appropriately compensated for our effort. That's it.

When our expenses go up and provide us with an indication that it is a permanent increase, we will raise our prices. We will not be playing the game that eggs are pricier elsewhere so we should jump on the bandwagon in an effort to drag more money out of customers. This is why it is important for people like you to support local producers. Your consistent support allows us to SET prices rather than ACCEPT the price that the market sets.

So, to sum up. Our prices will go up if/when our expenses do. The next time we pick up food for the hens, straw for bedding, or order cartons for eggs might lead to us consider a change. Similarly, if we decide our labor is not being properly compensated - or if we have to pay for help - we might have to consider an increase. This is complex enough and it seems, at least to us, to be a fair and reasonable approach for valuing food.

And finally, for the fine folks who have suggested they would be willing to pay more for our eggs - thank you. Let us suggest that, if you wish to do so, you could pay for an extra dozen eggs and you can request that we donate that dozen to the food pantry or food bank.

Think about that. What would it look like if people regularly purchased from local food producers and they often paid for one more of whatever item it is just so someone who can’t afford quality local foods could get some of it?

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Avian Influenza and your health

Some of you might be aware and may even be worried about the possibility of Avian Influenza crossing over to humans. First, I must acknowledge that this has happened. Those most likely to become infected are those who work with poultry - which includes Tammy and myself. At present, disease spread from human to human or other animal to human has been very isolated and exceedingly rare.

As far as your exposure is concerned, it is minimal. Just don't go to a poultry building and roll around in the bedding.

Really, I’m serious!

Sort of.

The following comes from CDC website prior to likely unhelpful modifications by the current administration:

Infected birds shed avian influenza viruses through their saliva, mucous and feces. Other animals infected with avian influenza viruses may have virus present in respiratory secretions, different organs, blood, or in other body fluids, including animal milk. Human infections with avian influenza viruses can happen when virus gets into a person's eyes, nose or mouth, or is inhaled. This can happen when virus is in the air (in droplets, small aerosol particles, or possibly dust) and deposits on the mucus membranes of the eyes or a person breathes it in, or possibly when a person touches something contaminated by viruses and then touches their mouth, eyes or nose.

Please note that there has been some evidence that these pathogens can be transmitted by raw milk (if the cow has the virus). However, if the milk is pasteurized, it will be safe. The same can be said for eggs and poultry meat. Cook it properly and you will be fine.

One more thing we all need to remember, there are multiple strains of Avian Influenza and viruses mutate and change. Some strains are most certainly going to be lethal for our poultry should they happen to contract it. But there are others that result in milder symptoms, which means healthier birds can survive the illness. It also means any flock could have an infection, which is why Tammy and I take reasonable precautions - both for us and for you.

Our farm will continue to provide our birds with the best balance of shelter and access to the outdoors we can. We will continue to feed them high quality feed from Canfield Family Farms near Dunkerton. Healthy birds in a healthy system will have the best opportunity to stay that way.

The same holds true for healthy people in healthy systems.

Once again, I appreciate your willingness to read and consider my words and thoughts. I hope they hold some value for you today.