Michigan Egg Prices Explode in 2024
As my much as I want to immediately head to all the egg-cellent dad jokes and egg puns, this is actually some fairly serious business. Michigan egg prices are rising fast. Any time we see a spike in one grocery or another, we’re always curious to know the why. In the case of Michigan egg prices, there are a couple of factors.
The Cage Free Law of 2020
About five years ago, Michigan became the fifth state (and the largest egg-producing state) to enact cage free egg laws. According to cagefreelaw.com, a total of fifteen states have cage free egg laws: Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Florida, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island. Each of these states has/had a five year period before the law took effect.
Michigan is ranked seventh in the country for egg production. Egg production is a 1.4 billion dollar industry for the Mitten. Iowa, Indiana, and Ohio are the top egg-producing states. Ohio enacted a similar cage-free law in 2022 with a similar lead-in period of five years.
Will The Cage Free Law Affect Egg Production in Michigan?
Potentially, but keep in mind there are a lot of egg producers that are in agreement with the cage-free laws. Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch is Michigan’s largest egg producer, with about 10 million egg-laying hens. They are entirely cage free and supply eggs to major retailers like Meijer and Kroger. They’re family-owned for four generations and believe in the ethical treatment of chickens.
ONE LINE OP ED: Bottom line, the super cheap eggs that have been produced by stressed-out chickens in little tiny cages are going away. Now back to the facts:
Avian Flu Factor on Egg Prices
CNBC has an article discussing the Avian Flu factor. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national average for a carton of a dozen large Grade A eggs cost $2.14 in November of 2023 and $3.65 in November of 2024. Michigan egg prices are higher than the national average. In 2024 a dozen eggs in Michigan was $4.82 (with a cost increase of 89%). The article lists the number one cause of egg price increases as the Avian Flu.
Nerdwallet.com agrees,: “the real culprit is an outbreak of H5N1, a highly transmissible and fatal strain of avian influenza, or bird flu.” Data from the CDC suggests that more than 120 million birds in the U.S. alone have been affected by H5N1, the largest outbreak of bird flu in U.S. history.
Here’s more on the topic of egg-flation from NBCLA. California has been one of the hardest hit states for Avian flu:
How Much of a Factor is Cage Free on Michigan Egg Prices?
It’s very likely that it’s not much. Ohio produced more than twice as many eggs as Michigan and Ohio is two years behind Michigan’s cage-free laws. The 2024 average price of a dozen eggs in Ohio is $4.39. That’s 43 cents less than Michigan. The more likely factors on Michigan egg prices are the Avian flu, inflation, and supply chain issues.
Sunnyside Up
It turns out that cage free chickens are less likely to get Avian flu since they are not all cramped in together and sharing germs at an insane rate. Less disease would add protection from future price spikes on Michigan egg prices.
And now, your regularly scheduled egg puns and my all-time favorite Easter Eggs:
