High grocery store egg prices could send customers flocking to farmers markets

By Cindy Hadish/for the Corridor Business Journal

Free-range chickens lead the good life on Ewetopian Farm in rural Vinton, but Jessica Moessner worries that a delay in receiving their chick order could mean fewer eggs to sell as farmers markets begin this May.

“It took a lot to get them this year, but we finally got them in January or February,” Ms. Moessner said, citing a six-to-seven month lag before the young hens, called pullets, start laying eggs.

Farmers market managers predict a strong demand for eggs this year, with prices in grocery stores hitting record highs, surpassing $6 per dozen on average nationwide in March, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Fortunately, mature hens at Ewetopian Farm will provide farm-fresh eggs for customers at early farmers markets, including Hiawatha, where Ms. Moessner, her husband, Chris, and two daughters have been vendors for more than a decade.

“We normally sell out,” she said of the 40 or so dozen eggs the family typically brings to the weekly Hiawatha market, which opened for the season Sunday, May 4.

The Moessners, who also sell lamb meat, honey, vegetables and jelly in flavors such as strawberry and peach, plan to add the Vinton Farmers Market fulltime to their schedule this year, and will start selling ground beef to further diversify their offerings.

Prices for building materials have skyrocketed, forcing the family to forego building projects on their farm, Ms. Moessner said, while supplemental feed for their chickens and other animals has also been on the rise.

Still, they plan just a modest 50 cent increase in their egg prices, which last year ranged between $3 per dozen for large eggs to $4 for jumbo eggs.

The average price for a dozen eggs through the Iowa City-based Field to Family online market is about $6, compared to just over $5 last year, said Operations Manager Jessica Burtt Fogarty.

She said the rise in egg prices reflects higher prices farmers are paying for feed and other inputs, as well as the added costs of allowing outdoor access for hens raised by Field to Family producers.

Field to Family features more than 30 producers in its online market, many of which took a hit when the federal government slashed local food programs this year, the nonprofit organization noted.

“Most of our producer partners have been deeply affected by the recent announcements of the USDA local food program cuts.“ Michelle Kenyon, executive director of Field to Family said in a news release.

In October, producers were informed that the programs would continue, Ms. Kenyon noted, and had been preparing with infrastructure improvements, seed and other supply purchases to ensure they would meet the demand.

“With the sudden and unexpected cancellation of those programs, farmers will have a gap to fill and our online market is one way the community can show support,” she said.

At least two local farmers markets will cease operations this season. Both Solon and Robins cited a lack of participation in the decisions.

Others are evolving, including the addition of urban hens at the Matthew 25 Urban Farm in northwest Cedar Rapids.

The nonprofit plans to offer eggs later this season at its weekly Cultivate Hope Farm Stand Markets and monthly Mega Markets from May through September.

In Center Point, typically at least one to two farmers market vendors sell eggs, said Greg Hall, assistant director for the town’s Parks and Recreation Department.

“They sell pretty fast,” Mr. Hall said, noting that some vendors sell eggs outside of the market season and even make home deliveries. “I think they’ll be pretty popular again this year.”

Center Point will have its market in the typical spot in the Pizza Place parking lot from 4-6 p.m. Wednesdays, but is moving the last market of each month to Center Point Heights, to offer closer access for seniors living there, he said.

Ruthanne Weighton, market manager for the Central City farmers market, said the town has a similar situation, with one to two people selling eggs out of the 12 or so vendors at the weekly markets on Thursday nights.

“I’m pretty sure they sold out every week,” Ms. Weighton said of the eggs, which tend to attract a following of regular customers. “They were fairly popular last year.”

Events Contractor Jenn Draper, who oversees the Downtown Farmers Market for the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, said egg vendors are among those that market organizers typically seek.

“It’s always a priority for us to have as many agriculturally based products at the market as possible,” Ms. Draper said in an email. “For us, that includes produce and produce-bearing plants, as well as meats, eggs, cheese, etc. It also includes ‘lightly processed’ items like honey or maple syrup.”

This year, the market specifically reached out to more regional growers and producers with hopes of recruiting new vendors and increasing the number of days those vendors are present, she said.

“I’m pleased to report that those efforts have been successful,” Ms. Draper said, “and we will welcome 47 agriculturally based vendors to the market this season, with many of them being poultry and beef producers with eggs on site.”

The large-scale downtown market, which features 200 vendors and averages 12,000 visitors at each market, is celebrating its 20^th anniversary this year, as well as the 10^th anniversary of the popular Market After Dark. An open-air, farm-to-table dinner is planned in downtown Cedar Rapids on July 27.

Find details on more than 50 Eastern Iowa farmers markets on the Homegrown list.

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