LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — There may be some shell-shock when it comes to buying eggs. Prices for them have been rising and will remain that way for now, thanks to a few factors.
“The taste of the eggs is completely different from store-bought eggs, so I appreciate that.”
The farm fresh eggs at Rod’s Produce Market in the Downtown Summerlin farmer’s market are a hit.
“I have eggs probably every day, so every day, I’ll have some eggs for breakfast,” said Maya Adams, a Henderson resident.
A breakfast staple owner, Rod Huebert, says it is a clear bestseller.
“I think it’s one of the things we sell the most of. I think we’re up to 500 dozen a week. People need their eggs,” Huebert said.
Eggs that are pricier to get. Huebert says he’s had to raise the price from $5 to $6 for a dozen farm-fresh jumbo eggs. Much of it comes from rising fuel costs.
“Every part of the farming operation, not only just the eggs, but the fertilizers cost more. You have to truck the fertilizer. Everything has to do with vehicles and trucking,” he said.
The data firm, Urner Barry’s Egg Index, shows wholesale prices for a dozen eggs hovering around $2.50 earlier this month. At the same time last year, it was just 61 cents. Another factor is a devastating bird flu that has resulted in millions of chickens being culled across the country. This means fewer egg-laying hens to meet demand. Huebert says it’s impacting the central California farm which he gets his eggs from.
“It’s definitely concerning because I just talked with my guy this morning and it’s going to be an issue. They’re even talking about turkeys having the bird flu issue,” he said.
Fortunately, it’s not deterring Huebert’s customers for now.
“The price doesn’t even matter to me because the quality is there. I prefer to buy quality over price,” Adams said.
Huebert says he does his best to keep the prices as fair as possible, and would like to help out shoppers when he can.
“My hope is that in the future we can get the cost of things to come down, and our country can go back to a state of peace, obviously. I think everybody wants that,” he said.
