Will we see Fort Worth egg prices drop in time for Easter? What a Texas economist says

Easter is around the corner and the price of eggs have some people scrambling for a cost efficient way to celebrate the holiday. The average price for a dozen increased by 5.8 % in February, according to the latest consumer price index.

“The increase stems from the holiday’s high demand,” David Anderson, a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension economist, told the Star-Telegram. He said prices have seasonality, just like food.

In January, the average cost for a dozen was about $2.52. In February, they were $2.99, a 47 cent increase.

“If we think about timing, Easter’s in March this year so we have to get eggs on the shelves earlier than the holiday,” Anderson said. “Our wholesale prices actually peaked back in February and they’ve been declining, it just hasn’t shown up in retail.”

Anderson said the rise in prices is also connected to the 2022 outbreak of Avian influenza. He said companies are still recovering from it’s impact.

“We lost more than 25 million egg-laying chickens to the virus so It really cut the supply of eggs and drove prices to record highs,” he said. “ But the virus has declined since then so companies have been able to expand their flocks of chickens and are actually producing more eggs today than we were a year ago.”

Since more eggs are being produced this year, Anderson says it may take a while for retail prices to reflect the price decline in the wholesale market. He suggests consumers weigh their options when shopping as the holiday approaches.

The latest survey from the United States Department of Agriculture shows that 10% of U.S stores are having specials on eggs. Anderson said prices will begin to decline when the holiday ends.