Egg prices rise on moderate demand as avian influenza trims layer flocks
Wholesale egg prices moved mostly higher during early March as moderate demand met light to moderate offerings across the national market, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Egg Markets Overview.
Negotiated wholesale prices for graded loose caged eggs increased with moderate to occasionally active trading. National trucklot prices for graded loose white large shell eggs rose $0.37 to $0.74 per dozen, while the New York wholesale market price for large cartoned eggs delivered to retailers climbed $0.47 to $1.28 per dozen.
In the major Midwest production region, wholesale prices for large white shell eggs delivered to warehouses declined $0.26 to $0.63 per dozen. Prices paid to producers for large cartoned shell eggs in the region dropped to $0.45 per dozen.
The California benchmark price for large shell eggs decreased $0.13 to $0.90 per dozen. However, delivered prices on the California-compliant wholesale loose egg market increased $0.62 to $0.99 per dozen.
Supplies remain moderate to fully adequate, with trading generally moderate. Demand ranges from light to moderate depending on market channels.
Retail promotional activity declined this week, though advertised prices increased. The average ad price for conventional caged eggs rose $0.23 to $1.65 per dozen, while UEP-certified cage-free eggs averaged $2.93 per dozen, up $0.86 from the previous cycle. Non-organic pastured eggs saw the most retail promotion activity, followed closely by non-organic free-range eggs.
Shell egg inventories increased slightly at the start of the week. Total stocks rose 1.5%, while inventories of large shell eggs increased just over 4% nationally. In the Midwest, supplies of large eggs also climbed about 4% as product moved through marketing channels. Large eggs accounted for 52.5% of all shell egg inventories.
Egg processing activity also increased modestly. The number of eggs processed rose nearly 1.5% over the past week and represented about 36% of weekly table egg production. Cage-free eggs accounted for 38% of processed eggs, down one percentage point from the previous week.
Demand for egg products remains generally light. Wholesale prices for certified liquid whole eggs were steady with a weak market undertone. Prices for frozen whole eggs and frozen egg whites were unchanged at $0.63 per pound and $0.74 per pound, respectively.
Meanwhile, highly pathogenic avian influenza continues to affect the U.S. egg industry. New outbreaks were confirmed in commercial table egg layer flocks in Wisconsin, Indiana and North Carolina. According to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service data, 13 outbreaks in five states—Colorado, Indiana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin—have resulted in the depopulation of approximately 12.4 million birds so far in 2026.
