© 2025 WEKU
NPR for North, Central and Eastern Kentucky
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Kentucky ag expert attributes rising egg prices to avian influenza, changing consumer preferences

Prices at a central Kentucky grocery for a dozen eggs Friday ranged from $4.49 to $7.99 for a free range brand.
John McGary
/
WEKU
Prices at a central Kentucky grocery for a dozen eggs Friday ranged from $4.49 to $7.99 for a free range brand.

Egg prices are up again and some experts are saying the latest increases likely aren’t the last. Tony Pescatore was a longtime associate chair and extension professor at the University of Kentucky’s Department of Animal and Food Sciences before retiring last fall.

“We've seen a shift in the industry to cage-free production. We've seen the shift from white eggs to brown eggs, and we've seen a shift to organic.”

Pescatore said another factor is avian flu, which forces producers to kill thousands of hens.

“It looks like this is going to be a bad year for it. We were seeing it more in the wild bird populations. We now have avian influenza as a concern in the dairy industry.”

At a Versailles grocery Friday, a dozen of one so-called “normal” brand cost $4.49, while a dozen labeled “free range” cost $7.99. Pescatore concluded his interview by saying, “I think we’re in for a rough year.”

** WEKU is working hard to be a leading source for public service, and fact-based journalism. Monthly supporters are the top funding source for this growing nonprofit news organization. Please join others in your community who support WEKU by making your donation.

John McGary is a Lexington native and Navy veteran with three decades of radio, television and newspaper experience.
WEKU depends on support from those who view and listen to our content. There's no paywall here. Please support WEKU with your donation.
Related Content