eggs
‘Pastured eggs’ are a hit in grocery stores
Produced by hens that spend their days outdoors, "pastured eggs" are a tiny part of the billions of eggs laid each year yet "are one of the fastest-growing category of eggs in America today," says the New York Times.
Egg prices fall by 26 percent in three weeks
After soaring above $3 a dozen during the summer, the grocery store price for Large white eggs Grade A or better is down by 60 cents in a three-week period, says USDA's latest National Retail Report. The 26 percent drop puts the average nationally advertised price at $1.74 a dozen.
Average retail egg price is more than double what it was a year ago
Supermarkets are advertising eggs at an average $3.13 a dozen for Large white eggs Grade A or better - more than double the price of a year ago, says the USDA's weekly National Retail Report. "The weighted average price of Grade A or better Large white eggs continues to trend sharply higher to record levels," says the report. The national average price a year ago was $1.41 a dozen.
Avian flu expected back in the fall
This spring the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza epidemic tore through poultry farms across 15 U.S. states, leading to the death of 48 million birds. The bulk of those were egg-laying hens, though turkey production was affected, too.
Egg group has egg on its face
A series of emails obtained under the Freedom of Information Act paint an unflattering picture of the American Egg Board’s campaign against a startup plant-based food company.
Bird-flu cost to Iowa economy: $1.2 billion
A study by an Iowa consulting company estimates the state economy lost $1.2 billion due to the avian influenza epidemic, reports the Des Moines Register.
Fruit and veggie prices steady despite California drought
Americans will see negligible increases in the supermarket prices of fresh fruits and vegetables this year despite continued drought in California, the No. 1 state for produce, says the Food Price Outlook.
First upturn in table-egg production since bird-flu epidemic
Table-egg production rose for the first time since the worst avian influenza ever in the United States swept the Midwest in the first half of this year.
Turkey farm is first bird-flu site in Iowa to re-stock flock
Nearly three months after avian influenza was confirmed on Moline Farms near Manson, Iowa, the turkey farm is filling its barns with new birds.
Bird-flu epidemic raises questions about large-scale poultry farming
The bird-flu epidemic that claimed 48.1 million domesticated fowl on U.S. poultry farms "illustrates the scale of chicken farming in the United States," says the Guardian, asking if factory farming is viable.
Farms hit by bird flu could resume production this fall
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says poultry producers who lost flocks in the worst avian influenza epidemic ever to hit the United States could have birds back in the barn by fall, according to USA Today.
Biggest one-month increase in egg prices in 42 years
With supplies crimped by bird flu, retail egg prices jumped 17.8 percent in June, "the largest month-over-month increase since 1973, and are now 21.8 percent above the June 2014 levels", said the USDA in dramatically raising its forecast of egg prices for the year.
U.S. hen total plunges again, as bird-flu fallout continues
The inventory of hens laying eggs for table consumption dropped by 5 percent in June, says the monthly Chicken and Eggs report. It was the second month in a row that the total plunged and a sign of the swift spread of the avian influenza epidemic.
General Mills sets long-term goal of cage-free eggs
Foodmaker General Mills announced it will stop buying eggs that come from caged hens, says CNN. The company did not say when it would make the switch.
“Significant” risk of new wave of bird flu in fall or spring
A second wave of the devastating avian influenza could appear this fall or next spring, the chief USDA veterinarian told senators, adding, "We will be ready for that challenge."
Retail egg prices up 6 percent in a week
Egg prices in the supermarket are up 6 percent this week, resuming a climb that began on May 22 but took a brief dip in late June, says the USDA's National Retail Report.
The $1 billion elephant in Iowa’s caucus rooms
Iowa gets the first word on presidential nominees through its precinct caucuses, scheduled for Feb. 1, so the Hawkeye State is awash with candidates who are trying to build a bond with voters. "Yet for all their love for everyday Iowans, none of the candidates is getting anywhere near the biggest crisis to hit the state in years - one of the worst animal health emergencies in U.S. history," says Politico Magazine.
11 percent of egg-laying hens dead in two months from bird flu
U.S. egg farmers lost 11 percent of their laying hens in two months, the government said - the latest impact of the worst avian influenza epidemic to ever hit the poultry industry.