Rising grain prices are causing farmers to up what they charge restaurant owners for eggs. It’s linked to a rise in diesel prices, meaning grain farmers have seen their operating costs rise significantly.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Rising grain feed prices for farmers are causing a spike in egg prices for some local restaurants.
Chicken farmer Beth Southwick says that’s because of an uptick in diesel prices increasing the cost for farmers to harvest their crops with tractors. Despite the CDC reporting 27 million cases of bird flu in poultry birds across the country, Southwick says the disease has not reached Onondaga County yet.
Sona Barletta, the owner of Teall Avenue diner Carl’s Kountry Kitchen, has seen her supplier increase egg prices by around 138% over the past three months.
“When you keep increasing the prices [of eggs] week after week after week, we can’t [do the same,” said Barletta. “We’re stuck eating whatever it is they give to us.”
But some farmers aren’t in a much different boat.
Southwick, the owner of the Treasures of Joy Farm in Nedrow, had her grain supplier tell her a price increase is coming next time she buys feed for her chickens. She’s expecting a jump of 36 cents per pound.
“I think [this is happening] across the board,” said Southwick. “We are looking at other suppliers to see if we can bring costs down, but I think we’re going to find the same thing.”
Southwick’s farm is small, which may be a reason she hasn’t seen price increases on grain yet. Other farms contacted for this story who did not want to be included did say their grain prices have already been steadily climbing.
Even though the bird flu isn’t in Onondaga County yet, other factors such as rising grain and diesel prices are still driving the egg market up – Southwick says that means if the bird flu hits, local eggs could see an even more significant jump.
Transcript
KEVIN MITCHELL: According to the CDC, 27 million poultry birds have contracted the avian bird flu. But the outbreak hasn’t touched chickens in Onondaga County yet.
BETH SOUTHWICK: My birds are fine – they don’t look sick.
MITCHELL: So why is the price of locally farmed eggs still going up? Beth Southwick owns and operates the Treasures of Joy Farm in Nedrow. She says the price of grain feed for her flock is rising with the price of diesel for tractors – meaning she’ll have to raise prices on her eggs.
SOUTHWICK: It’s 32 cents a pound for grain for chickens and it wouldn’t surprise me if it went up to 36.
MITCHELL: But consumers aren’t only seeing the effects when they buy eggs like these. One diner owner tells me she’s seen her egg prices jump 50 percent in the past couple of weeks.
SONA BARLETTA: I mean we’re up to $2.60 a dozen and we’re usually around $1.09.
MITCHELL: Sona Barletta is the owner of Carl’s Kountry Kitchen. She says she relies on regulars for business – making it hard to jump prices.BARLETTA: So if those eggs keep going up, we’re eating the cost.
MITCHELL: Those cost increases have come over the last three months. Barletta raised menu prices recently – she says she won’t do it again anytime soon.
BARLETTA: The more you raise – the harder it is for your customers to stay loyal.
MITCHELL: Barletta said her customers understood her decision. But Southwick says grain prices probably won’t go back down – meaning the cost of eggs will stay up too.
SOUTHWICK: But – once things go up – they usually don’t come back down.
MITCHELL: Reporting from Onondaga County, I’m Kevin Mitchell, NCC News.