(Des Moines, IA) — An Iowa economist says the bird flu outbreak in the state is helping to drive up egg prices.
Brian Earnest with CoBank – which is part of the Farm Credit System – says the nation already saw a significant decrease in egg layers due to the pandemic. The bird flu will only make it worse. It has led to the culling of 24-million birds in commercial and backyard flocks across the nation. Earnest says the price of wholesale eggs rose to three dollars a dozen last month.
Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig says he’s concerned about a possible repeat of the 2015 outbreak which cost Iowa one-point-two billion dollars.
