Egg Shortage and Its Impact on Small Farms

As you may have noticed, the nation has been facing an ongoing egg shortage. It’s hard to miss – empty shelves in grocery stores and prices that seem to rise every week. While many have heard about the outbreak of bird flu as the culprit behind the shortage, we, here at CT Ranch, have been hesitant to join the conversation. We didn’t want to contribute to the growing wave of fear surrounding this issue, as we believe there’s more to the story than what we’ve been told.

But as the shortage persists, it’s become impossible to ignore how this situation is impacting our small farm. When national inventories are low, consumers turn to local farms for eggs, and while we are always happy to provide our community with fresh, high-quality eggs, this uptick in demand has had its own challenges. Like many small farms, our production is limited. With a small flock, our supply simply cannot meet the growing demand.

While we’re honored that so many of you trust us for your eggs, we also understand the frustration that comes with limited availability. We want to be transparent and let you know that we, too, are feeling the squeeze. Inventory at CT Ranch has been more limited than usual. Some days, we even have to turn customers away, and we never want to do that.

Another factor in the current egg crisis is the surge in prices. The bird flu has definitely affected the cost of eggs at a national level. Supply shortages combined with increased demand have led to significant price hikes, both at grocery stores and on small farms.As always, we strive to keep our prices fair, but we also want to be upfront about how these changes are affecting our small business.

We’ve also been hearing about people hoarding eggs, trying to stockpile for uncertain times. While we completely understand wanting to be prepared, this behavior only exacerbates the problem. When people hoard, it leaves fewer eggs available for others who rely on them every week. Our hope is that we can all approach this shortage with patience and understanding, and support each other, and we encourage our customers to only take what they need to help leave enough inventory for other families as well. 

Now, as we wrap up this newsletter, I feel it’s important to briefly speak out against the fear-mongering that has been swirling around the bird flu and the shortage. We have always prided ourselves on being a voice of reason, and while it’s clear that some poultry operations have been impacted by illness, we believe that not everything we’ve been told aligns with the full truth. We encourage you to stay informed and make decisions based on facts, not fear. There are many voices in this conversation, and we want to remind you to always consider all perspectives before forming an opinion.

We appreciate your understanding as we navigate these challenging times together. Thank you for continuing to support CT Ranch, and we look forward to serving you with the very best eggs we can provide.

With gratitude,
The CT Ranch Family