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compared to 6,000 in 1980.
The record-low temperatures this winter have also helped contribute to recordhigh egg prices, Klippen said. Especially in the South where most henhouses are unheated, each hen lays fewer eggs. The storms also delay delivery from farms in other parts of the country as transportation is disrupted.
Klippen further pointed to last spring’s rise in grain prices which contributed to a cutback in the number of laying chickens being produced.
Marketing experts at the Virginia Department of Agriculture point out that this high price of feed is directly responsible for the escalation of egg prices. The more expensive feed caused by last year’s sunburned crops means less feed for hens. When their rations are cut back, hens don’t lay as many eggs.
State Department of Agriculture officials point out that eggs are subject to cycles of good times and bad in supply and demand just as other animal or plant farm products are. Although consumers have come to count on fairly steady egg prices in recent years, marketing experts say today’s higher prices shouldn’t discourage homemakers from buying eggs. Eggs are still the most thrifty protein source there is, says VDACS marketing specialist Susan Wiley.
87.9%