“We make a few cents a dozen, but we’re not complaining.
Egg inflation is a bit of a worry for a lot of Americans. What’s going on?Well, egg prices have gone through the roof. In fact, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, they’re set to hit a record high in early 2023. (Via) (Via)
While eggs aren’t expensive right now, many Americans are feeling the pinch when they see a carton, but it seems that many farmers who sell their eggs are struggling to make ends meet, even though the price of eggs seems like a steal.
TikTok user Emily Martin explained that, even in 2024, egg farmers made nothing from their cartons. She showed 421,000 eggs from her farm in a video that’s been watched over 500,000 times!A lot of people think she must make a good living.
One commenter, @juanromo817, asked Martin, “Hey, you’re a multi-millionaire, right?”
She replied, “No… I’m not. We don’t make 2% of what they’re selling today.” On camera, in front of a pristine batch of egg whites, he added: “We literally make ten cents a dozen.
So, why the lack of eggs?
Even though farms like Martin’s have plenty of eggs every week, there’s still a big shortage.
Martin explained in a video he posted before responding to @juanromo817’s comment on TikTok: “Some people might wonder why we have an egg shortage when we have all these eggs. Turns out it’s because of bird flu.”
He says that bird flu has affected flocks all over the US and when one flock gets it, the rest have to be culled.The CDC says that bird flu is not very dangerous to humans, but it is widespread in poultry flocks. Since February 2022, there have been bird flu outbreaks in birds raised for sale. As of 5 February 2024, 709 farms have been affected by bird flu. (Via) (Via)
Many of these farms produce hundreds of thousands of eggs per week, and one broiler farm in Delaware with 125,000 birds had an outbreak. (Via)
When a farm detects bird flu, it contacts the USDA and health authorities to cull infected flocks. Bird flu can kill millions of birds really quickly, so farms have to cull the whole flock. (Via)
These contracts, which egg producers sign with suppliers such as Sauder’s Eggs, protect egg producers from an unstable market and help improve relationships with suppliers.
Suppliers can raise prices in response to the shortage of eggs they receive from the producers they work with. Martin can’t control the price of eggs in supermarkets, but he doesn’t have to negotiate with retailers either. (Via)
TikTok user @Sixwordcustoms commented on Martin’s video, saying “Cancel contract, sell direct”, and @JamesGilson142 added “Oh you need to renegotiate that contract right now”.
@mister_moo_mu said, “Eggs are sold at a fixed price because the big stores are raising prices for no reason.”
“Having a contract is very useful because… playing on the open market involves a lot of risk,” Martin explained. “Eggs can suddenly crash. If a dozen eggs cost a dollar in the store, we lose a lot of money.
So why can’t farmers like the Martins make money from their eggs if there’s a shortage?
Well, Mr Martin explains that his family farm is under contract, which means the price of eggs is fixed.
The Martins get a cut of each dozen sold, which is more profitable for them than selling direct, but like many American farmers, they’re worried about losing everything to bird flu. “There have been a few cases in our state recently, and for us, the biggest worry is catching the disease, losing our herd and not being able to pay our mortgage,” says Martin.
Martin, who produces TikToks, explains what egg producers can and can’t control.
“As producers, we don’t necessarily do our job to make money. It’s a seven-day-a-week job that takes a lot of work,” Martin adds. “We just try to do the best we can.