Nebraska egg farmer says prices could rise even higher

JULIAN, Neb. (KLKN) – Egg prices have skyrocketed around the nation, with some farm-fresh eggs costing $7 per dozen in Nebraska.

Beth Kernse Krause, co-owner of Al-Be Farm in Julian, said prices could get even worse this season.

“We have not taken on any new customers because we don’t have enough,” she said. “Our supply is too tight.”

Avian influenza is most to blame.

SEE ALSO: Nebraska officials report third case of bird flu in Knox County

Studies show that 2022 was the deadliest year in the U.S. for the bird flu.

Kernse Krause said it was more prevalent in commercial farms, where chickens would have to be killed if they were infected.

Chicken deaths have affected the supply for everyone in the industry.

“It’s getting harder to come by chicks,” Kernse Krause said. “The hatcheries are selling out. We don’t even have our chicks yet for this year.”

SEE ALSO: 2,000 birds fill event center despite tough year with avian flu

She said the farm has been fortunate enough to not have to raise prices, which have stayed steady at $4.50 per dozen.

Kernse Krause gives credit to her customers in her small town, along with a restaurant that buys up a majority of the eggs Al-Be produces.

She said the farm hasn’t lost money but isn’t making the growth they had anticipated.

And she said if the bird flu hits hard again this year, things will get worse for Al-Be.

“If we lost all of our birds, we would have to start all over again at ground zero, that would be no birds whatsoever,” Kernse Krause said.

SEE ALSO: Omaha zoo reopens two exhibits after no further cases of bird flu

She said starting from scratch would be too big a risk for a small farm like hers.

Once you get a chick, Kernse Krause said it can take up to five months before they are reliably laying eggs.

“We’ll just have to see what happens this year,” she said. “We will be getting our first batch of chicks here in a couple weeks, which is a few weeks later than we usually do.”

And since so many hatcheries have raised prices and are behind orders, the prices aren’t likely to go down anytime soon.

Kernse Krause said it will likely be Labor Day before the farm is producing a steady egg supply.

SEE ALSO: Lincoln Children’s Zoo closes multiple exhibits to prevent spread of bird flu