An egg farmer revealed that despite the soaring egg prices in stores, farmers aren’t making ‘millions’ like people may think.
Emily Martin went to TikTok to break the news that she wasn’t a millionaire, as one commenter suggested.
‘”You guys must be millionaires look at all of those eggs!” No… that is not the case. We have all of these eggs, yes, but we don’t even make like two percent of what they’re selling for right now,’ Martin said.
‘We literally make cents on a dozen,’ she added, showcasing a batch of white eggs behind her.
Martin pointed out that many farms, like hers, is under contract and they have a set price that gets paid per dozen ‘no matter the market price.’
Many viewers who watched Martin’s explanation urged her to get out of the contract, but she told the Daily Dot there are many more benefits to having one than not.
‘Having a contract is so helpful because… there’s a lot of risk to play the open market,’ she explained. ‘Eggs would all of a sudden take a dive. [If] it was a dollar for a dozen in the store, we would be losing money big time.’
She further told the outlet that ‘as farmers, we don’t necessarily do the job to make money. It’s a seven-day-a-week job, and there’s a lot of work that goes into it.’
Emily Martin went to TikTok to break the news that she wasn’t a millionaire, as one commenter suggested. ‘We don’t even make like two percent of what they’re selling for right now,’ Martin said
Egg prices across the country have soared, and are only set to climb higher, as a dozen eggs has more than doubled in cost since the summer of 2023
‘We’re just trying to do the best we can,’ Martin added.
Many farmers are increasingly concerned about the rise in avian flu.
Martin said in previous posts that the egg shortage was due to the disease, which has struck farms across the United States.
‘We’ve had some cases popping up in our state lately,’ Martin said. ‘For us, a big concern is just to get it and to lose our flock and then not be able to pay our mortgage.
‘Once the farm gets it, the rest of the birds all have to be wiped out,’ she said.
One farmer in Saranac, Michigan, revealed that their farm lost over 6.5 million hens due to outbreaks of the disease.
Egg prices across the country have soared, and are only set to climb higher, as a dozen eggs has more than doubled in cost since the summer of 2023.
Shoppers across the country are already paying more than double the average price, and some are even reporting finding empty shelves at their local grocery store.
Some stores have resorted to limiting the number of eggs customers can buy in a bid to combat shortages
Some stores have resorted to limiting the number of eggs customers can buy in a bid to combat shortages.
The necessity to slaughter millions of egg-laying hens has caused prices to soar.
‘It’s just robbery,’ Minneapolis resident Sage Mills, who bought eggs to bake a birthday cake last week, told AP News.
‘Eggs used to be kind of a staple food for us, but now you know, you might as well just go out to eat.’
More than 145 million chickens, turkeys and other birds have been slaughtered since the current outbreak began, with the vast majority of them being egg-laying chickens.
The rise in egg costs is outpacing inflation, taking a toll on Americans who are already struggling to digest elevated food prices.
According to a price tracker by CBS News, the average price of a dozen eggs was up 60 percent in December from the year prior.
Donald Trump has faced backlash for the rising cost of eggs, despite him pledging to bring down grocery prices on day one of his presidency.
Donald Trump has faced backlash for the rising cost of eggs, despite him pledging to bring down grocery prices on day one of his presidency
Earlier this month, Vice President JD Vance said it is ‘going to take a bit of time’ to bring down grocery prices.
‘There is a lot of reporting out there that is putting the onus on this White House for the increased cost of eggs,’ White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said when asked about the issue at her first press briefing on Tuesday.
She did not mention bird flu but added: ‘As far as the egg shortage, what’s also contributing to that is that the Biden admin and Department of Agriculture directed the mass killing of 100 million chickens.’
