Egg Prices Will Skyrocket Again in Michigan – Here’s Why

You're about to feel the pinch once again at the grocery store as egg prices in Michigan are headed up, up, up.

Michigan's Largest Egg Producer Laying Off 400 Workers

Herbruck's Poultry Ranch - Michigan's largest egg producer is laying off about 400 staff members after a bird flu outbreak. Avian flu has affected US birds since 2022, but this is the first time it's had an impact on Michigan's egg industry.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, about 2.6 million birds have been affected in Michigan, with almost 2.4 million of those birds being eradicated from Herbruck's poultry farms in Ionia County. With fewer birds at all of its five farms, Herbruck's says it was forced to lay off about 40% of its workforce.

Herbruck's is not only the largest supplier of eggs in Michigan, it also provides the majority of eggs used by McDonald's restaurants in the eastern United States, according to WOOD-TV.

10 Michigan Counties Affected

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development issued a state emergency on May 1. The highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1 has been detected in either poultry or cattle or both in 10 Michigan counties, the department tells Bridge.

Dairy cows in four Michigan counties have also been affected. Farmers are said to be separating sick cows although the MDARD says the disease typically doesn't spread through an entire herd.

EGGflation in the Past

Egg prices reached an all-time high in 2022 and into 2023, with prices soaring nearly 50%. That bird flu epidemic was not tied to egg producers in Michigan.