Will You Be Able To Find Eggs To Dye This Easter Around Minnesota

It may be tough to find or afford fresh eggs to color for Easter 2022 in Minnesota, South Dakota, and Iowa. Here's why.

21 states including Minnesota, Iowa, and South Dakota have confirmed cases of avian influenza or 'Bird Flu' that has prompted the killing of millions of birds.

Bird Flu is highly contagious and the disease has shown up in big commercial flocks, local family farms, and backyard chicken coops all around the country.

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And although it is possible to date the Bird Flu has not been reported in a human being.

WCCO is reporting that "more than 378,000 birds have been euthanized in Minnesota because of the highly-contagious virus."

In Iowa alone, more than 18 million chickens and 305,000 turkeys have been killed since the Bird Flu outbreaks began a month ago.

ABC News says that “Eggs now average $2.88 per dozen, up 52% since the first confirmed case of avian influenza in February, the highest since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.”

So could we see a shortage of eggs for Easter or at the very least be paying a lot more for eggs to color?

Information from egg-news.com would seem to point to egg supply problems in our future. These are some of the contributing factors...

1. Average unit revenue for eggs was 60.5 percent higher during the past week following the killing of over 12 million hens over the past four weeks.
2. The increase in price for all sizes this past week suggests continued demand over the short term with progressively increasing prices.
3. As cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza / Bird Flu are diagnosed, availability will be more severely impacted.
4. Retailers will continue refilling the pipeline to satisfy consumer demand as the industry moves through the weeks before Easter.
5. It is possible that orders will increase over uncertainty on the part of chain buyers concerning avian influenza.
6. Current wholesale margins are rising sharply for all sizes of eggs in response to flock depletion coupled with sustained demand.
7. Production margins will be negatively impacted by increased prices for feed, pullet chicks, labor, packaging, and fuel.