Here’s Why South Dakota Grocery Stores Keep Running Out of Eggs

What the [REDACTED] is going on with eggs and chicken?!? Over the last couple of months, more often than not I see an empty egg section at the grocery store in Sioux Falls. And when there are eggs they are super pricey.

According to officials, the price of a dozen large, Grade A eggs was about $1.75 in November 2021. Today, in December 2022 the price is around $3.50 for that dozen of eggs.

And, if you're looking for the chicken itself, be ready to pay through the nose. I swear the price of the chicken nuggets that fuel the two teenagers in my household has exploded in the last year.

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Why are the eggs gone and the meat so expensive?

It has to do with a virus. NOPE, not that one. It's because of the bird flu, you may know it by its fancy title: Avian influenza.

Bird flu is a virus that occurs naturally in wild birds. Sometimes those wild birds visit their domesticated cousins and spread the virus to them. The virus kills the bird, but not before it gets a chance to gift all its friends with their very own case of flu

Unfortunately, when the disease spreads to chickens on farms, the only thing to do is destroy the infected birds to stop the spread.

Over in Iowa, they are the largest chicken producer in the country. In 2022 they have had to destroy MILLIONS of birds to try and control the bird flu.

Over 50 million poultry birds were destroyed in 2022. It's shaping up to be the worst bird flu outbreak in US history.

As for us, the consumer, this is when the basics of supply and demand kick in

When there are fewer birds for nuggets or eggs, the price and availability of those products are affected.

Fewer eggs being laid leads to fewer eggs on the shelf. And when there are eggs in stock, they sell out FAST! Like a paper cut on your pinky finger, you never know how often you use eggs until you can't find them.

Along the same lines, fewer chickens mean the remaining chickens become more valuable. The price rises to cover the price of growing them. When the farmers have less to sell, the price of what remains has to go up to cover expenses.

It's all a frustrating situation. Another thing on top of all the other things that have smacked around the average American for the last few years. It feels like the crisis never ends.

The good news is that the market should stabilize and we should see more products in stores and a drop in prices over the next year.

I do have to say, that my family and I are very lucky. This rise in price and scarcity are just an inconvenience for us. A real, budget-busting, pain in the behind inconvenience to be sure. But we aren't going hungry. We have had to make some changes but we get by.

My heart hurts when I think about the people who are being priced out of food to eat. When people are forced to live on the edge, ballooning prices of necessities can push them over the edge.

Thank goodness for Feeding South Dakota and other organizations that help catch people when they do fall.

SOURCE: The Hustle
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ben Kuhns is just some guy on the internet. He is a wannabe writer, and his wife thinks he's funny. He writes for Results-Townsquare Media in Sioux Falls South Dakota.