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AFBF economist says retail egg prices down 57% from 2025

An ag economist says retail egg prices declined in March as the poultry sector works to recover from losses due to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza.

Bernt Nelson with the American Farm Bureau Federation says prices are down 57 percent from this time last year.

“We saw an uptick in January and February in avian influenza cases,” he says. “In March, we saw those cases drop off a little bit. That really speaks to the volatility of these markets right now in relationship to high path avian influenza.”

But, he tells Brownfield detections continue to impact egg producers.

“With estimates for the cost of production, we’re looking for the farm level for conventional egg production at around 78 to 80 cents per dozen,” he says. “When we look at prices for the farmer that are sitting at right around that $1.02 to $1.06 per dozen. There’s not a lot of wiggle room there for margin.”

Nelson says if cases of HPAI continue to increase over the next several months, it could send retail eggs prices back higher.

Spring migration runs from March to June.  Wild birds, specifically ducks and geese are the primary carriers of HPAI and can increase the risk of transmitting the virus to domestic poultry and backyard flocks. 

The USDA says the current outbreak of avian influenza has impacted more than 197 million birds.

Avian influenza does not present a food safety risk.

AUDIO: Bernt Nelson, American Farm Bureau Federation