Egg prices have dropped significantly following a break in the spread of avian influenza across the state. Midwest large eggs currently cost $2.50/ dozen. In March, prices hit more than $8/dozen in some parts of the country.
Egg prices soared earlier this year after multiple waves of avian influenza, or bird flu, hit flocks across the state and country. Over 8.5 million birds have caught the disease since 2022.
Rebecca Joniskan, president of the Indiana State Poultry Association, said it takes six months to a year for chickens to start laying healthy eggs again.
“We have some complexities around different egg-laying hens,” she said. “Different genetics are used to stock barns that produce cage-free eggs versus conventional eggs versus pastured or free-range eggs. So, there's a whole bunch of different components that go into getting those barns back up and running and laying eggs and getting that great source of protein out to consumers.”
Joniskan said it’s unclear how long prices will remain low. In South Dakota, over 400,000 turkeys have been killed in the past month due to another wave of bird flu.
“As long as we don't lose additional birds, we shouldn't see egg prices, you know, rise significantly. But it's, you know, extremely hard to predict where this disease will hit and what forms of production it'll hit.”
