MARSHALL — While egg prices have been fluctuating over recent years, they’re expected to hit their highest amount, and stay high, in 2025. The increase in cost stems from the ongoing impact of avian influenza.

It’s true that eggs are not the only food item to greatly increase as inflation is apparent across the board. However, they seem to have one of the biggest price jumps.

According to data from the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in 2025 pork and veal prices are predicted to increase 1.5 %, dairy products are predicted to increase 1.3% and fresh fruits are predicted to increase 0.7%. Egg prices are expected to increase 20.3% in 2025.

The price increase and/or supply decrease is reflected at some local grocery stores and restaurants.

Mace Frederickson, chief culinary officer at Varsity Pub and Extra Innings in Marshall, hasn’t yet seen a direct impact with his restaurant.

“For us, it’s not a huge impact … We really only run weekend breakfast menu specials and those are only two days a week, four hour specials. We just buy eggs as we need them,” Frederickson said. “Of course, the price has gone up. So, it does affect it a little bit, but they’re not necessarily a staple item in my inventory.”

However, working in the food industry, Frederickson knows the impact the egg price increase can have on other restaurants that heavily depend on eggs.

“Just knowing how much this price has gone up in the past six to eight months, they’ve been as low as 28 cents per egg, and now they’ve jumped to a whole 71 cents per egg. If you’re a restaurant buying a whole case of eggs, that’s 180 eggs. So, it’s like a 300% rise in price,” Frederickson said. “It’s a big effect on diners and breakfast places, it’s a big hit for sure.”

Marshall grocers have begun to acknowledge and implement the price increase as well.

As of Wednesday, a dozen large eggs at Aldi cost $4.67, and the store has a listed sign saying, “Limit of 2.”

A dozen pasture raised eggs are $6.09.

At Hy-Vee, a dozen large eggs are $4.99, and medium eggs are running $4.69.

Walmart’s egg supply for large white eggs was running low. A dozen eggs are listed at $4.17, while brown eggs are $5.27. An 18 count carton of large white eggs is $6.16.

“This happened a couple years ago where eggs shot up to about the same price for a very similar reason,” Frederickson said. “That lasted months, going to almost a year. So, this could be another six to eight months that this happens.”

Some people opt to raise their own chickens and get eggs from them. In the city of Fairmont, the ordinance in Chapter 4-Animals, Sec. 4-3 reads in part that “no person shall keep more than a total of five (5) chickens, fowl or poultry, per recorded lot in any zoning district outside of the agricultural transition zone. Roosters are not allowed to be kept in a residential zone.”

It also says that “no chicken coop, run or other structure where chickens, fowl or poultry are kept shall be maintained closer than thirty-five (35) feet from any residence, other than the residence occupied by the owner or occupant of the premises upon which such chickens, poultry or fowl are kept.”

Because there’s an ordinance, residents aren’t required to get a permit and thus the city has no way of knowing if there’s been more people keeping chickens in recent years. Only five are permitted in city limits but outside of the city, people are welcome to have more chickens.

Alecia Driscoll and her husband Dan live just outside Fairmont and have about a dozen chickens that they got last spring.

“We wanted to get fresh eggs and teach our kids about homesteading stuff,” Alecia said.

Since their chickens started laying eggs this past summer she said she hasn’t had to buy any eggs from the store, which has been nice. She did say that the chickens lay fewer eggs in the winter months when it’s darker and colder, but that a lamp is in the coop to give them more light and help with production.

“This is our first winter with them but they’re doing pretty good,” she said. It’s nice to have fresh eggs and know where they come from.”

Those who have chickens or other poultry no doubt know about avian influenza.

Brian Nyborg, a supervisor with Windom Area Wildlife, which is under the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, said, “You don’t want to be around or touch a bird that’s dead and then go out and tend to your chicken flock and run the risk of them being exposed to avian influenza.”

For this reason and for the safety of others, the DNR has advised the community to not touch any of the dead geese, or any other raptors, that are on the lakes.