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An egg-straordinary time

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2:08 pm

By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture

The national average wholesale price of eggs has declined, but consumers may have a wait before seeing lower prices at the grocery store, said Jada Thompson, associate professor and poultry economist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Wholesale price changes can take up to three weeks to be reflected in retail stores, so consumers are only now starting to see shelf prices gradually decline, according to the March 28 Egg Markets Overview from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In February, the average price of a dozen eggs came to $5.90.

“In the same way that just because the barrel price of oil goes down does not mean that gas prices immediately go down, there’s a delay here,” Thompson said. “Retailers get to choose their own price, and they took a lot of losses when prices were exceptionally high. They may be saying, ‘I’ve lost money over here, so I’m going to let what I have in stock go out at the price it currently is before I lower the price, to compensate for that earlier loss.’”

Thompson said that retailers often use eggs as a “loss leader,” meaning the product is sold at a price below its market cost to stimulate the sales of more expensive goods. She said that it serves as an incentive to bring that retail price back down.

However, with highly pathogenic avian influenza — or HPAI — still in the background and typically higher demand at Easter, there could be some price fluctuation.

“Eggs are a basic product that everybody puts in their basket, so I think there will be a pretty quick response to that,” Thompson said. “The only caveats to that are more cases of HPAI and the holiday demand. You’re going to have a little bit of extra demand for the holiday season, so you’re not necessarily going to see the prices go up, but you may see fewer eggs on the shelf. That might drive a little of the competition for those wholesale market eggs, which is eventually going to bump that price a little.”

Transportation and production input costs, including feed, can also impact the price of eggs, Thompson said.

“The cartons, the cleaners, all the things that are going into the inputs, we don’t necessarily manufacture in the United States, so with any disruption in trade there will likely be changes in cost of good, and some of those are going to affect the price of eggs or the price of inputs for those eggs,” Thomspon said.

The price of feed also goes into the cost of producing eggs, and Thompson said those change with corn and soybean prices, “so that has a whole commodity bend to it.”

Though the price of eggs is coming down, Thompson said the extent of the decline would be market-based.

“Some of the markets have been recovering,” she said. “They’ve already had new birds coming online and laying eggs again.

“Some markets are still hit pretty hard,” Thompson said. “I don’t think we’re going to see $1.99 eggs anytime soon, but I think that everybody is working really hard to get back to that.”

HPAI impact and recovery

The outbreak of HPAI in 2024 had a significant impact on the number of egg layers in the country. In 2024, 38 million layers were affected by the bird flu. An additional 30 million layers were affected in January and February 2025, impacting the total number of eggs that end up on grocery store shelves.

“Prior to the disease outbreak, we were producing about 8 billion eggs on a monthly basis,” Thompson said. “For February of 2025, we produced about 6.6 billion. From a scalability perspective, that’s why when people were talking about the high egg prices, it’s because we just don’t have the eggs.”

Thompson said that though the number of layers is still low, she is seeing those numbers coming back up.

“We see really high recovery and replenishment rates in eggs in incubators,” Thompson said. “It looks like the industry is doing an awful lot to try to bump up the number of birds as quickly as possible so that those egg numbers recover as quickly as possible.”

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.

About the Division of Agriculture

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.

The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses.

Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.

On Better Roads

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1:47 pm

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“I have learned that the swiftest traveler is he who goes afoot,” or so claimed Henry David Thoreau in his book “Walden.” According to Henry David, a friend had to work all day to earn enough money to take a train ride, while if he walked he could enjoy the birds, eat blackberries and arrive at the end of that same day. I’ve heard Thoreau referred to as the first hippy because of his rejection of materialism, his wish to live a simpler life and his deep appreciation of nature. But his was then, and still is, a minority view. Most of us want to get there fast, and this requires roads. Good roads.

Roadways are a part of civilization. And believe it or not, we need to work together to accomplish the things needed to create a functioning society. Not surprisingly. the first roadways through the backwoods of Arkansas followed trails established by Native Americans. These early trails, usually referred to as military roads, were improved in the 1820s by the Army as a means of getting supplies to far-flung western forts. The Southwestern Trail that ran from St. Louis to the Red River across central Arkansas and the later-named Butterfield Trail route from Springfield, Missouri to Fort Smith are examples.

The Memphis to Little Rock military road was one of the most important early new roads completed prior to statehood. It went through the swampland of the Delta and followed roughly the route of I-40 today. Between the 1830s and 1870, the federal government, to facilitate better mail service and marketing of agricultural goods, spent money on improving and adding what became known as post roads.

But in the 19th century, most people didn’t go far from home. And if they did, they had only to travel to the nearest train station. Local roads were just that, local. In the territorial days before statehood, county courts were given authority over road construction. If 12 property owners wanted a road, a subset of this group would determine its route. Usually, these roads were farm-to-market roads that went from growing areas to a town or a nearby shipping point. All able-bodied men between ages 16 to 45 were required to work on the road within their township. With statehood, these preexisting roadways were declared public property and the local approach to road building was codified.

But there was a wee problem. Once a road was built, there was no provision for maintenance. The state’s residents steadfastly refused to pay taxes for road repair because it was usually large land owners who wanted the roads. Even military roads and post roads suffered because the federal government paid for their construction but decreed maintenance was a local responsibility. Arkansas, because of its mountainous and swampy terrain, became known as having some of the worst roads in the nation.

Then a new fad swept through the land: Bicycling. It was slow to arrive in Arkansas, but by the end of the 19th century, young and boisterous suburbanites wanted better roads on which to ride their new toys. In the early 20th century, this led to the Good Roads Movement, which just happened to coincide with Mr. Ford’s decision to begin mass-producing Model T Fords. Finally, in 1913, the Arkansas Highway Commission was created and established a fledgling statewide system for building and maintaining state roads.

In the spirit of “keeping roads local,” the state legislature passed legislation in 1915 that allowed local officials to create road improvement districts and finance projects with bond money. In a decade, 527 new districts were created, although many began to fail because they couldn’t pay off the bonds. Two years before the stock market crash, the state passed legislation assuming responsibility for paying off the road improvement bonds.

It was during the mid-1920s when the federal government became more influential in dictating roadway construction by dangling the promise of more money if their guidelines were followed. Funding for roadway construction and maintenance shifted away from property owners to road users via gasoline tax. I just renewed the tag on my new plugin hybrid car and learned the state adds a $100 surcharge to the price of my car tag because I now burn a lot less gas.

This week I finished doing my taxes. For one, I don’t really mind paying taxes though it does sting a bit when I have to write out a big check. But, while Mr. Thoreau urged us all to walk, it isn’t going to happen. We humans live in a hive society just like the carpenter ants, nesting in the elm tree by my lawn chairs, who created a nice series of trails leading off in all directions. They did it by working together.

Gerald Klingaman is a retired Arkansas Extension Horticulturist and retired Operations Director for the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks. After more than two decades of penning the popular Plant of the Week column, he’s taking a new direction, offering views on nature as he pokes about the state and nation. Views and opinions reflect those of the author and are not those of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. If you have questions or comments for Dr. Klingaman about these articles contact him at [email protected].

Arkansas 4-H members get cracking at 4-H Poultry Judging State Contest

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1:39 pm

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Arkansas 4-H members get cracking at 4-H Poultry Judging State Contest

By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture

Arkansas 4-H teams from Izard and Sebastian counties tested their knowledge of poultry production, studying eggs inside and out, at the 4-H Poultry Judging State Contest, held April 1.

MAKING THE GRADE — Participants graded whole poultry carcasses as part of the Ready to Cook Carcasses judging event, looking for cuts, missing meat and other defects that would lower a product’s grade. (Division of Agriculture photo.)

The contest took place at the Pauline Whitaker Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas. One team of senior 4-H members from Izard County and one team of junior 4-H members from Sebastian County competed in several judging events, including parts identification and assessment of the interior of eggs through a process known as “candling.”

“Candling eggs is when you hold a light source to the egg to see inside of it,” said Andrew Bolton, extension poultry instructor for youth programs for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “We do this to check the air cell in the egg, which is an indicator of freshness and quality. It starts tiny when first laid and grows as the egg becomes older.”

EGG EVAL — In the Broken-Out Eggs judging event, participants judged the quality of the yolk and albumen, or egg white. A smaller and thicker egg white indicates a fresh egg. (Division of Agriculture photo.)

Judging events also included Past Production Hens, where participants assessed how productive a set of hens had been at laying eggs, and Ready to Cook Carcasses, where they graded whole carcasses looking for cuts, missing meat and other defects that could lower a product’s grade. In the Broken-out Eggs event, participants judged the quality of the yolk and albumen, or egg white.

“The markers they look for are the size and thickness of the albumen,” Bolton said. “A smaller and thicker egg white is an indicator of a fresh egg.”

SENIOR TEAM — The senior team from Izard County will move on to compete at the National 4-H Poultry Judging Contest later this year, which is held as part of the National 4-H Poultry and Egg Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. From left to right: Delilah Montalbo, Makaelynn Wood, Olivia Stroud, the team’s agriculture teacher, Kennedy Manacke and Sage Wells. (Division of Agriculture photo.)

Bolton said participants also argued in defense of their placing judgments.

“Participating in the Poultry Judging Contest is a great way for our 4-H’ers to learn about the poultry industry, learn skills that are used daily in the industry, as well as build their confidence in public speaking,” Bolton said.

Junior individual winners from Sebastian County:

First place: Beckett Allen

Second place: Finn Payne

Third place: Anakin Payne

Senior individual winners from Izard County:

First place: Makaelynn Wood

Second place: Kennedy Manacke

Third place: Delilah Montalbo

Fourth place: Sage Wells

The Izard County team will move on to compete at the National 4-H Poultry Judging Contest later this year, which is held as part of the National 4-H Poultry and Egg Conference in Louisville, Kentucky.

Bolton said the contest is a great opportunity for 4-H members interested in pursuing a career in the poultry industry, but it has benefits for all participants.

“I would say this contest is a great hands-on experience in the poultry field,” he said. “I believe that it offers a leg up for anyone interested in poultry but holds invaluable lessons for anyone to practice and compete in.”

For more information about 4-H poultry programs, contact Bolton at [email protected] or visit4h.uada.edu/poultry/plant-animal/poultry.aspx.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.

About the Division of Agriculture

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.

The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses.

Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.

JUNIOR TEAM — The Izard County 4-H junior team shows off their winning banners. (Division of Agriculture photo.)

JUNIOR TEAM — The junior team from Sebastian County included team members Finn Payne, Anakin Payne and Beckett Allen. Andrew Bolton, extension poultry instructor for youth programs, poses with the team. (Division of Agriculture photo.)

What foods and drinks are consumed less by those on GLP-1 weight-loss meds?

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1:20 pm

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What foods and drinks are consumed less by those on GLP-1 weight-loss meds?

By John Lovett
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station

As a large proportion of people taking medications like Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy for weight loss report consuming less processed foods and soda, researchers say food and beverage companies are adjusting strategies.

The results of a recent national study conducted by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station found that these weight loss drugs — known as Glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists or GLP-1s — lead to new food and drink consumption patterns, which underscore observed changes in food and beverage marketing.

“We’ve already seen a shift in how food companies market their products,” said Brandon McFadden, professor and Tyson Endowed Chair in Food Policy Economics with the experiment station and the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences. “For packaged food companies, stock prices were going down while the stock prices for pharmaceutical companies that make these medications were going up.”

An example of the shift, McFadden said: not long after presenting data on his research to an international audience, a major packaged food manufacturer came out with a “meal in one” bar marketed to GLP-1 users. Smoothie King had already seen the writing on the wall, too, and created a menu section dedicated to “GLP-1 Support.”

While previous consumer behavior studies have shown GLP-1s caused lower preference for high-fat foods and promoted weight loss, there has been limited information on how it influenced food preferences and consumption behavior across different food categories, McFadden said of a study he and collaborates recently published.

For the study, they surveyed current, previous and potential consumers of GLP-1s to better understand how taking these medications affects food choices. The study also included people who did not plan to take a GLP-1.

The current market for GLP-1s approved by the FDA for weight management includes Saxenda, Wegovy, Ozempic, Zepbound and Monjaro.

What are GLP-1s?

Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in helping lose weight, GLP-1s saw a 300 percent increase in use between 2020 and 2022. GLP-1s were developed for blood sugar regulation in diabetes patients and curb appetite by mimicking the natural GLP-1 hormone found in the lower intestine, simulating insulin release from the pancreas in response to eating or drinking. The result is significant weight loss. Randomized-controlled trials have shown that GLP-1s reduce body weight by 15 percent or more.

Tens of thousands of new users were estimated to have started using GLP-1s every week in 2024, and it is estimated that at least half of the people in the U.S. would qualify for a prescription, according to the study from the experiment station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Around 42 percent of the U.S. population is estimated to be obese, and another 31 percent are overweight, the study noted. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a body mass index of 30 or higher indicates obesity and a body mass index of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight.

GLP-1s are approved for weight loss in adults who have a body mass index of 30 or higher, and those who are overweight with a body mass index of 27 or higher with at least one weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes.

Consumed less, yet still desired

The study found that current and previous users of GLP-1s reported reduced consumption of most foods and beverages. The proportion of respondents reporting less consumption of processed foods was about 70 percent more than of those who reported consuming more. Similarly, there were about 50 percent more respondents who reported consuming less soda, refined grains and beef than those who reported consuming more of those foods. There were also reductions in the consumption of starchy vegetables, pork, alcohol, fruit juice and dairy milk.

Chicken, coffee, fish and seafood, nuts, eggs, plant-based meat, whole grains and plant-based milk also saw a relatively smaller dip in consumption, ranging from 10 to 25 percent of respondents reporting decreases in consumption compared to increases.

Despite the declines, GLP-1 users reported a continued desire to consume processed foods, sodas, refined grains and beef.

Only fruits, leafy greens and water showed an overall increase in consumption.

“These results highlight how a GLP-1 might increase consumption of options like fruit and water, even though those taking a GLP-1 desire them less than others,” the study noted.

Andrew Dilley, a Bumpers College graduate student in the agricultural economics and agribusiness department, was the lead author of the study with McFadden as his adviser. Co-authors included Saroj Adhikari and Pratikshya Silwal, agricultural economics and agribusiness department post-doctoral researchers, and Jayson Lusk, professor, vice president and dean of Oklahoma State University’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

“Our study shows that adoption of GLP-1 agonists changes both the amount and types of food people eat,” Lusk said. “These results have important implications for the food industry. If adoption of GLP-1s continues to increase, food companies will be challenged as demand for processed foods falls but will have opportunities as demand for fruits and vegetables increases.”

Lusk also leads the Ferguson College of Agriculture and two state agencies: OSU Extension and OSU Ag Research.

The study included a survey with 1,955 useable observations including 495 people who were currently taking a GLP-1, 468 who had previously taken one, 492 people who were planning to take one, and 500 people who were neither taking one nor planning to take one.

McFadden said the results of the study could help guide the development of targeted communication strategies, enhance product positioning and help design complementary lifestyle recommendations for patients using GLP-1 treatments. A follow-up study is being conducted to gauge side effects reported by those taking GLP-1s.

The journal Food Quality and Preference published the study in March under the title “Characteristics and food consumption for current, previous, and potential consumers of GPL-1s.”

Mention of product names does not imply endorsement by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The study was supported in part by the Tyson Endowed Chair in Food Policy Economics.

To learn more about the Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website. Follow us on X at @ArkAgResearch, subscribe to the Food, Farms and Forests podcast and sign up for our monthly newsletter, the Arkansas Agricultural Research Report. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. Follow us on X at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu.

About the Division of Agriculture

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.

The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three system campuses.

Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.

State Capitol Week in Review From Senator Terry Rice

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1:17 pm

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State Capitol Week in Review From Senator Terry Rice

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas is at the center of a national battle between local pharmacies on the one hand, and on the other hand a giant industry known as Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs). It is a battle of economic life and death.

Local pharmacies accuse PBMs of anti-competitive practices and multiple violations of state law. More than 60 local drug stores have gone out of business since 2016. They support legislative approval of House Bill 1150 to prohibit PBMs from operating retail pharmacies in Arkansas.

A spokesman for a PBM said that if HB 1150 is passed, the corporation will close its 23 pharmacies in Arkansas. In emotional testimony, employees appeared at the Senate Insurance and Commerce Committee and said they would lose their jobs if the bill passed.

A Senate co-sponsor said he is sympathetic with employees’ concerns about losing their jobs, but he also feels sympathy for the many people who have already lost their jobs because PBMs forced the closing of local pharmacies.

The Senate approved the bill by a vote of 26-to-9 and the House approved it by a vote of 89-to-4. It’s on its way to the governor.

HB 1150 also would prohibit PBMs from using mail-order pharmacies to distribute prescription drugs in Arkansas.

A spokesman for local Arkansas pharmacies said that if the legislature approves HB 1150, it would create a domino effect and numerous other states would enact similar laws.

For that reason local pharmacists, corporate drug companies, elected officials and policy makers throughout the United States are watching Arkansas closely.

PBMs are middlemen between drug manufacturers and the hundreds of millions of Americans who purchase prescription drugs. PBMs negotiate with health insurance companies, pharmacy retail stores and companies that have self insurance for employees’ health coverage.

Opponents of HB 1150 say the government should not pass laws that interfere in the free market. Supporters of HB 1150 say that PBMs use anti-competitive practices toward creating a monopoly and don’t comply with existing laws.

HB 1150 is one of several laws enacted by the legislatures to level the playing field between PBMs and local pharmacies. An Arkansas law regulating PBMs has been upheld by the United States Supreme Court.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, the three largest PBMs set prices for 80 percent of the prescriptions filled in the United States. As one Arkansas pharmacist said, PBMs are his competitor and they have the authority to set his prices.

PBMs are vertically integrated, meaning that they own or have a financial arrangement with other sectors of the health care industry, such as health insurance companies, hospitals and pharmacy retail franchises.

In related news, the Senate passed HB 1531 to prohibit drug manufacturers from restricting medications to a limited network of out-of-state pharmacies. Co-sponsors of HB 1531 say that if manufacturers restrict the availability of prescriptions to out-of-state mail-order companies, it would shut down access at local pharmacies, hospitals and clinics in Arkansas. That could harm patients, they say.

Prison Funding Bill Dies; Power of the People Proves Formidable

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7:31 pm

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Prison Funding Bill Dies; Power of the People Proves Formidable

(Article contributed by Marilyn Moore)

When a community stands together, it can shake the walls of power. And when communities across a state unite, they can change the course of history.

Since the town hall in Charleston, concerned citizens have worked tirelessly—digging for the truth, uncovering documents, asking hard questions, and demanding accountability. We brought those facts to light. We carried them to the Board of Corrections and the legislature. We gave our time, our money, our sleep, and our peace. All for the greater good.

And it mattered.

For now, a $750 million appropriations bill for the proposed Franklin County mega-prison has stalled in the Arkansas Senate. Senate President Pro Tempore Bart Hester, a supporter of the prison, said today that he does not plan to hold another vote on the bill this session—unless he has enough votes.

Let that sink in: it didn’t have the votes. Because enough senators stood firm. Because thousands of people called, emailed, and showed up. Because we did not give up.

As one of the founding members of the Franklin County and River Valley Coalition, I couldn’t be more proud of my community today—of my neighbors, and of every single person who done the hard work, sent an email, made a call, and raised their voice. This fight is far from over, but I’m especially proud of the senators who stood with courage and conviction. Additionally, for the press who helped us get out our message. For everyone’s effort, heart, and determination—I’m deeply grateful.

This is a moment to breathe—and a reminder that people power works. Let’s keep standing. For our communities. For our neighbors. For the future of our great state.