Heavy Egg Consumption

Heavy Egg Consumption

'Predicted for Year «

Each American civilian likely will eat an average of 406 eggs in 1061, 12 more than last year’s record consumption, and over 100 more than during the five years before World War H.

D. U. Livermore, poultry marketing specialist at says this heavy egg-eating probably will continue even in the third quarter of 1961 when retail prices are expected to be well above the relatively low level of a year ago. In the last quarter prices may average about the same as a year earlier.

'Em production during the first six months of 1051 was somewhat lower than for- the corresponding period in I960, but supplies distributed to civilians for current consumption were larger. This arises from the fact that no government purchases of eggs for price support have been made this year, and the net movement of eggs 4n storage during the period decreased sharply. On July 1 cold storage stocks of shell and frozen eggs were 6 per cent smaller than those of a year earlier, while holdings of shell eggs were the second smallest on record for that date and about onethird below* last year. (

Egg production during the last half of the year likely will be somewhat larger than a year earlier.- This will offset the reduced supplies available from cold storage stocks. While the number of mature chickens in laying flocks at mid-year was about the same as a year ago, the output of eggs is expected to expand because of the higher rate of lay per bird. More chickens are being raised for farm flock replacement than in 1956, but the increase in egg supplies from this source will not occur until later in the year.