Egg prices making you want to shop local? Check out these RI egg farms
Every time egg prices go up, so too does the demand for local eggs.
"We’ve been really busy lately,” said Bob Stamp, who owns Stamp Egg Farm in Johnston.
As egg prices surged to an average of $4.25 a carton in December, more people turned to local suppliers. The local prices are typically between the lowest and highest egg prices consumers find on grocery store shelves. Though, as any egg farmer will say, the quality of the local egg is higher.
“There’s a ton of reasons to buy local,” said Adam Baffoni of Baffoni’s Poultry Farm in Johnston. “You keep more money in the local economy. You support jobs … and the egg is better. When you buy from us, we picked the egg from our chickens a couple of hours ago, so it’s going to last two months in the fridge, not two weeks.”
Why are eggs so expensive?
The main reason for the surge in egg prices is an outbreak of Avian flu that began in last February and killed more than 43 million egg-laying hens, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The deaths came in two waves, one from February to June and one from September to December.
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This type of loss is one the egg industry is slow to recover from, largely because of how long it takes to raise a hen.
“It takes 21 weeks to get eggs out of a laying hen,” Baffoni said. “It takes the big companies a while to bounce back from that loss.”
This shortage happened at the same time as seasonal demand for eggs surged with holiday baking, creating a supply-and-demand issue that led to sticker shock at the grocery store.
By the end of December 2022, the price of eggs was 267% higher than in January 2022.
There is some sentiment that the large egg companies are taking advantage of consumers. Citing that local egg producers didn't have to raise their prices as much, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed is asking the Federal Trade Commission to look into whether the egg industry giants have been engaged in price gouging.
What’s the average price of a dozen eggs?
The good news is overall egg prices are starting to drop. The price of large eggs is down 58 cents from just last week, and the typical carton in the Northeast region is now $3.30 to $3.34, according to a Jan. 23 USDA report.
Where to get local eggs in Rhode Island
For those wanting to shop locally for their eggs, here are a few places around the state:
333 Wapping Rd., Portsmouth
Open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
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The hens at Aquidneck Farm are pastured-raised in a mobile outdoor pen, also called a “chicken tractor,” that allows the birds to be moved to new ground constantly while being protected from predators such as hawks. They are currently selling a dozen eggs for $7 at the farm stand or at the Aquidneck Growers Market.
324 Greeneville Ave., Johnston
Open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Baffoni’s, established in 1935, sells brown eggs laid by their flock of 25,000 Rhode Island Reds, which also just so happen to be the Rhode Island state bird. The birds are raised cage-free, and the eggs are harvested twice a day so they’re fresh as can be. They are currently selling a dozen extra-large eggs for $6.
816 Greenville Ave., Johnston
Open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday from 9 a.m. to noon, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to noon.
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With a flock of 3,000 birds right now, fresh eggs are harvested bright and early every morning at Stamp. A family business since 1937, they do things “the old-fashioned way,” raising the hens on a vegetarian diet. They are currently selling a dozen large eggs for $5.25 and $6 for super jumbo eggs.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Where you can buy farm-fresh local eggs in Rhode Island
