By Mary Hightower
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Egg prices are heading upward from their February dip, but consumers should get used to a price rollercoaster, said Jada Thompson, poultry agricultural economist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
In February, prices declined to their lowest levels since 2023.
“Since then, they’re back up, likely due to Easter demand,” Thompson said on Tuesday.
“The story with egg prices now is in the uncertainty,” Thompson said. “We know there is seasonal demand, but with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza rolling around and biological lags in replenishment, farmers really don’t have a lot of control when it comes to planning and egg placements.
“They and consumers just have to ride the waves, and those waves have been bad these past few years,” she said.
The Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in its March outlook that table-egg production in January 2026 totaled 656.7 million dozen, up 2.2 percent from January 2025. The increase was the result of a 1.8 percent higher average layer inventory and a 0.4 percent higher lay rate.
However, HPAI claimed 2.8 million commercial egg layers in January 2026, and “while this is down month to month, it is still a year-over-year increase of 2.9 percent,” ERS said in its report. “In the month of February, an additional 9.5 million commercial table-egg layers were lost to HPAI, primarily in Pennsylvania, but also in Wisconsin and North Carolina.”
ERS said it revised its table egg production forecasts downward for both the first and second quarters of 2026.
“Fewer eggs tighten supply and can drive prices up,” Thompson said. “The change in those prices will depend on how many HPAI cases we get throughout the year. Nobody likes it, but we’ll have to wait and see the supply and demand working in real time.”
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. To learn more about ag and food research in Arkansas, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station at aaes.uada.edu.
