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Sophia Aldous
Locals deal with rising egg costs
NEWPORT – Tarrah Strid gently pushes her hand under a nesting hen to grasp the egg underneath, to which the bird takes umbrage, clucking and darting its head at Strid’s arm.
“Don’t you peck me,” Strid says softly, putting the egg in her basket to join the others she’s collected on a freezing winter morning at her family’s home near Diamond Lake. Chickens of various colors and sizes and one jaunty rooster mill around their fenced in enclosure next to the garage, eagerly waiting for Strid to toss out their daily breakfast of dried mealworms.
What started as a hobby for Strid has turned into a resource for others struggling with the prices of eggs.
A certified nursing assistant, Strid has been keeping chickens and harvesting eggs for three years. She estimates her hens lay about 20-35 eggs total per day. In the last six months she’s had more requests for eggs than she’s ever had.
“I used to sell them to a couple people here and there,” Strid says. “Now I have about eight to 10 people who buy them regularly.”
For the past two years farmers have dealt with a fatal strain of bird flu that continues to hamper the U.S. egg supply. Since October 2024, continual large-scale outbreaks of the virus across multiple states have taken a huge toll on the U.S. flock of egg-laying hens. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national average price of eggs hit a new all-time high in January, soaring more than 15% in a single month to $4.95 for a dozen large Grade A eggs.
Prices vary by region and type, so shoppers have seen a wide range of price points— many much higher than this. However, the average figure recorded by BLS shows how much worse the situation has gotten in recent months, since it surpasses the previous egg price peak recorded in January 2023 at $4.82 per dozen.
Safeway in Newport and Super 1 Foods in Oldtown, Idaho are the biggest grocers in the Pend Oreille River Valley. A quick search on the Safeway shopping app shows egg prices at $5.99 for a dozen Lucerne large cage free eggs and $8.89 for 18. A dozen eggs from the Happy Egg Co. go for $8.99 and an organic dozen from the same company costs $9.99.
At Super 1 Foods a 12 pack of Eggland’s Best Grade A eggs cost $5.68. A pack of 18 is $8.98. A dozen Eggland’s organic eggs go for $6.98.
Strid asks $3 for a dozen eggs and $5 for 18. “I’ve had some people tell me that I should be charging more, but I don’t feel it’s right,” Strid says. “I didn’t start keeping chickens to make money; it’s actually a quick way not to make money. All of what I get for my eggs goes back into the chickens.”
The egg salad sandwich is what one might call a fluctuating banner menu item at Owen’s Grocery and Deli in Newport. According to owner Rob Owen, the sandwich peaks in popularity.
“It seems like if someone orders it and there’s someone behind them, that person is like, ‘That sounds really good, I want that too,’” Owen says.
In January 2024 Owen says he paid approximately $11.50-$12 for a case of five dozen. Last month he had to pay $12 for only two dozen. He says he currently has no intention of raising prices though.
“Everything has gone up,” Owen says. “Wholesale prices, labor—it’s just where we’re at right now, and I would prefer not to raise prices.”
While Owen’s does serve breakfast, it’s a “hit and miss” turnout says Owen.
“Some days we’ll get 10-15 people for breakfast and then sometimes we’ll only get that in a week,” Owen says.
One place where breakfast isn’t hit and miss is Audrey’s Restaurant off of Highway 2 in Newport. The restaurant is open seven days a week and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Co-owner Cindy Bennett estimates that around 75-90 people on average eat at the restaurant every day. There are at least 20 items on Audrey’s menu that specifically include eggs, not counting baked goods like pie and cinnamon rolls.
Bennett says the restaurant goes through around 10 cases of eggs per week at 15 dozen to a case. Last year she says they paid $45 per case. This year, the price has skyrocketed to $125 a case.
While there has been an overall price increase on the whole of Audrey’s menu, Bennett says they haven’t added a surcharge to reflect egg prices at this time.
“The prices we pay for eggs seems to change every week,” Bennett says. “Right now, we haven’t had to pass that on to our customers and we hope we don’t have to.”
Eggs are another staple at Newport Hospital and Health District where the dietary department serves patients, residents at River Mountain Village and River Mountain Advanced Care, and staff and customers that utilize the hospital’s Pine Street Café. The district served 18,812 meals from January 1 to February 17. Currently, the district spends $3,368 per month on various egg products (whole, liquid, hardboiled), according to district Director of Strategy and Community Engagement Jenny Smith. She adds that egg prices have increased 190% over the last year.
“While, yes, the huge cost increase has presented us with a challenge, our patients and residents will always be our priority,” Michael Hamilton, Dietary Manager for the district says. “Offering eggs to our patients and residents has not changed. We communicate with our vendors on a regular basis, and we’ve sourced from different vendors when needed. As an example, one vendor recently had an order for 240 cases of shelled eggs from the supplier, but they received none. They communicated this to us, and we found an alternative source.”
In a story published February 13 by the Associated Press, the United States Department of Agriculture predicts that egg prices aren’t projected to decrease any time soon. Egg prices typically spike around Easter due to high holiday demand. In the AP story the USDA predicts that egg prices were likely to go up 20% this year.
SOPHIA MATTICE-ALDOUS IS A MURROW NEWS FELLOW WORKING DIRECTLY WITH NEWSROOMS AT RANGE MEDIA AND THE NEWPORT MINER NEWSPAPERS THROUGH A PROGRAM ADMINISTERED BY WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY. HER REPORTING IS AVAILABLE FOR USE VIA CREATIVE COMMONS WITH CREDIT.
