Egg prices are absolutely crazy right now. I never buy a lot of eggs, but I’m pretty sure in the past I could get my usual 6-pack of eggs for just over a dollar. Now I spend over $3 for the same amount and brand. It’s crazy. But I recently learned that the cost to buy local eggs from Southeast Minnesota Farmers costs about the same as buying them at a major grocery store.
Ummm…yeah, you tell me what you like to do. Whenever I need eggs, I definitely plan to get them from a local farmer now. To further prove that local eggs are the way to go, let’s break down the math, thanks to a Facebook post shared by the Rochester Farmers Market.
The post was originally created by Jeremy Kelly and later was shared by the Rochester Farmers Market with their own thoughts. Jeremy’s post breaks down the cost of raising chickens:
Total $30 for a chick to a 7 month old hen
7 months for 2 years (first laying) per hen
2 pounds of food per week X 52 weeks per year for 2 years = 208 pounds fed.
208 lbs / per 50 lbs (per bag) = 4.16 bags fed
4.16 bags X $21.80 = $90.69 worth of food
$90.69 + $30 = $120.69 total
Imagine that the hen produces 400 eggs for two years… the average depends on the breed.
$120.69/400 = $0.3017
$0.3017 X 12 = $3.62 PER DOZEN
Let’s say you spend $5 a dozen on local eggs, that way the farmer makes money in the process. Well, after looking at a few major grocery store websites, the cost of the cheapest dozen eggs available (which are high in a factory) ranges from $4.49 to $4.69, to $3.99 and at $4.99.
Close up egg box full of white chicken eggs on color background. Copy space for text.
As the Rochester Farmers Market points out, “If you’re paying between $4.99 and $8.99 for factory-raised eggs in the store, your money is going to that business…wouldn’t you rather spend that money for eggs from a local farmer who can tell you when they were picked and where they came from?
In Rochester, I know there’s a farm called Tomte Grove. They sell a dozen eggs for $5 and to buy them you need to contact them to schedule a time to collect them. Or there is, of course, the Rochester Farmer’s Market. In the winter, they do them on Saturdays in Graham Park in buildings 35 and 31. The dates of the next farmers markets are January 21, February 4 and 18, March 4 and 18, and April 1, 15 and 29.
Spend the Night with Chickens at Unique Minnesota Airbnb
I always love looking at unique places to stay and usually find them on Airbnb. This place in northern Minnesota called AirB-n-BAWK gives you the chance to spend the night right next to the chickens on the farm and you can help out with the farm chores. There are two different houses you can stay in called The Nest and The Perch.
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