BEAVER DAM Wis. — The United States Department of Agriculture reports the average egg price in March is around $3.33, up 33 cents from last month. That’s still down from last year’s peak of almost $5.

Easter and eggs go hand in hand. Nick Levendoski, owner of Sunnyside Hatchery in Beaver Dam, said Easter is also a busy time for egg producers. Levendoski has his hands full managing a large flock.

What You Need To Know

  • Sunnyside Hatchery owner Nick Levendoski, said he manages about a million chickens every year

  • More than 82 million birds have been affected by Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) A(H5) viruses beginning in Jan. 2022

  • Wisconsin's egg industry has an economic impact of about $209 million

  • Levendoski said this year’s reemergence of bird flu combined with an increased holiday demand for eggs means consumers will pay more

“Combined with what we hatch out here and what we distribute in meat birds, we’re pushing about a million chicks a year,” Levendoski said.

Levendoski is also president of the Wisconsin Poultry and Egg Industries Association. He said last year, a big reason egg prices skyrocketed, was a deadly strain of bird flu, killing millions of birds nationwide. 

“High Path Avian Influenza (HPAI) is still out there. It’s definitely not as hot as it was a couple of years ago,” Levendoski said.

Levendoski said this year’s reemergence of bird flu combined with an increased holiday demand for eggs means consumers will pay more.

“Things are ticking up a little bit on the egg prices and that’s whether the egg industry is strong or depressed. Always leading up to Easter, you’ll see a nice surge just with the increased demand,” Levendoski said.

That’s unsettling news for Karen Munoz, owner of Just Dzuricks, a cheesecake bakery in Neenah. As Easter approaches, Munoz said she’s using a lot of eggs.

“Oh, my gosh, dozens. It really just depends. If it’s in the middle of a holiday, I can go through dozens in a day,” Munoz said.

Last year’s high egg prices forced Munoz to raise hers. So this year, Munoz said she’s hoping not to do the same.

“Even now I’m trying really hard not to have to keep raising prices with everything going on,” Munoz said.

The Easter demand for eggs is good for the industry, Levendoski said, because throughout the year, business ebbs and flows.

“Things start to slow down around Memorial Day and a lot of the success of the egg business hinges on when school’s in session. So after Labor Day, things are on the upswing again,” Levendoski said.

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