University of Kentucky ag extension professor explains latest hike in egg prices

If you think you’re shelling out more for eggs these days, you’re right. According to the Consumer Price Index, the average price of eggs rose 5.5 percent from mid-July to mid-August and 19 percent from mid-August of last year. Tony Pescatore is an associate chair and extension professor in the Department of Animal and Food Sciences at the University of Kentucky. He said one reason for the jump is another wave of highly pathogenic avian influenza.

“In April, we probably had somewhere between 4 and 6 million hens that had to be depopulated because they had that disease diagnosed in their flock.”

Pescatore said afterwards, producers can’t start from scratch the next day.

“Those facilities have to be depopulated, they have to be cleaned, they have to be disinfected, then they have to have a series of negative tests before we can repopulate them.”

Pescatore said it takes four to five months for hen chicks to start laying eggs and another three to four months to reach peak production. He said another reason for higher prices is that more people are buying cage-free and brown eggs.

** WEKU is working hard to be a leading source for public service, and fact-based journalism. Monthly supporters are the top funding source for this growing nonprofit news organization. Please join others in your community who support WEKU by making your donation .