If you’ve been shell-shocked by the price of eggs at the grocery store lately, you’re not alone. Egg-streme circumstances caused by avian flu outbreaks have left shelves bare and wallets lighter.
It’s no yoke: the cost of a dozen eggs rose by 45% from January to November 2024, according to the Consumer Price Index. In La Conner and elsewhere in the Skagit Valley, most groceries are charging an average of $12 for a carton of eggs.
The culprit? Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1, which has been ruffling feathers across the nation. The virus was detected in wild birds, commercial poultry, and backyard flocks starting in January 2022, with outbreaks pecking their way through the Midwest in 2024. Here in Washington state, 53 cases of avian flu have been reported, though Skagit County has flown under the radar with no confirmed cases.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers the risk of bird flu to public health low. However, Washington state confirmed its first human cases in October, when nine agricultural workers in Franklin County tested presumptively positive. Fortunately, the workers only experienced mild symptoms, but nearly 800,000 birds were culled to stop the spread.
Collectively, the result has been higher prices and egg shortages across the nation and in La Conner, including Pioneer Market, which had to switch suppliers in December when avian flu impacted one of its contributing farms. Barry Whipple, general manager for the La Conner and Sedro Woolley Pioneer Market stores, said he hasn’t had issues with inventory since then, but price is another story.
“The prices are insane,” he said, with a carton of 18 eggs going for $12.99. “We’re not even making 10 percent on them.”
The shortage worsened an already tough market for Washington eggs caused by a
Resources for keeping your flock healthy
For farmers or backyard chicken enthusiasts looking to keep their birds safe, the USDA’s Defend the Flock program offers free tools and resources to reinforce biosecurity practices.
USDA Defend the Flock
Avian Flu Guidance for Agricultural Workers (English)
Guía sobre la gripe aviar para trabajadores agrícolas (Español)
state law requiring all egg-laying chickens to be cage-free and doubled the price overnight when it went into effect in 2024.
“It’s hard for the little guys,” Whipple said, pointing out that large retailers can absorb egg-related losses across their inventory. “The combination of the two (Avian flu and new regulations) has changed everything.”
The Skagit Valley Food Co-op also added more local vendors recently when their suppliers ran out of eggs. For a short time, they posted a sign in the window that warned shoppers they were out of eggs.
On the sunny side, the shortage gave the Co-op an opportunity to source more local eggs, said Co-op Marketing and Outreach Coordinator Nicole Noteboom.
“We found Misty Meadows in Everson,” she said, adding that they also buy from Day Creek Farms in Redmond. “We are still seeing the impact of the shortages, but it gives us another option.”
Local farms report mixed results from the shortage. Those that sell eggs in the winter months, like Mount Vernon’s Schuh Farms, are selling eggs as fast as they can. “We are, right now, getting a nice supply of eggs for this time of year—somewhere between two to three and a half dozen per day,” said Jen Schuh. “We have suggested to customers to pre-order and that way we can make sure and have eggs for them when they come.”
Most local farms don’t have flocks big enough to support winter egg sales. Farms like Boldly Grown Farms in Bow are supplementing their farm stands with eggs from nearby farms.
Others haven’t been able to grow their flocks in time to fill the void. Erik Olson of Well Fed Farms said he’s noticed increased demand for his eggs, but isn’t able to meet the need yet.
“Eggs are a relatively small part of my business,” said Olson, who produces organic vegetables and pastured pork,
Buy local eggs
Pioneer Market
416 Morris St. in La Conner
Snow Goose Produce
Contact them through their website, https://www.snowgooseproducemarket.com/
Schuh Farms in Mount Vernon
Eggs are sold through preorders only. To reserve eggs, text Jen Schuh at (360) 202-3863
Boldy Grown Farms in Bow
Open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily
8855 Ershig Rd.
Bow WA 98232
Skagit Valley Food Co-op
Open 7a.m. to 8 p.m. daily
202 South First Street
Mount Vernon, Washington 98273
Looking for egg substitutes? Check out Skagit Valley Food Co-op’s recent blog on using substitutes for baking.
but raises about 200 pastured laying hens during the growing season. He described his flock as “really just a drop within a drop in the bucket in terms of the food system in this region.”
“It’s something that I’ve always hoped to scale up, as there is demand for high quality, pastured, local eggs and I firmly believe that mixing crops and livestock within a farm systems is the appropriate way to raise food both for the ecology of the landscape and for the health and well-being of the animals.”
If you want to avoid paying eggs-tra at the supermarket, buying local might be your best bet. It seems like the idea is catching on.
“We are at $7.50 a dozen and I pretty much am selling everything by pre-order,” Schuh said. “So I am not having a hard time selling eggs right now, that’s for sure.”As for rising egg prices, Olson said the impact on his business is minimal. “Occurrences like this definitely create a short-term increase in interest in our products,” he said. “But when commodity prices go back down, most folks who aren’t our core customers seem to go back to their old shopping habits. It’s kind of like when gas prices spike — people might shift to fuel-efficient cars for a while, but then they drift back to SUVs and trucks when prices drop.”
