On the topic of local eggs

Some of you may have noticed that we have a new egg vendor. I thought I'd just share a little bit about what I've learned about the dilemma of raising eggs. So interesting.

Today I was talking with the farmer from Farrar Out Farms. We've carried their eggs off and on since we opened. With Prairie Grass probably getting out of the egg business, Farrar Out farms has become even more important to us. Anyway, he brought in only 15 dozen today. He said in a few weeks he hopes to be able to sell us around 50 dozen a week. The reason he has so few is that when it is super hot like this, the chickens just don't lay as many eggs. He said this is especially true of the older hens. He related that some farmers will keep more hens than he does so that during summer there are enough eggs to meet the demand. The downside of this he related is that the farmers have so much surplus in the spring that they actually end up dumping eggs in the fields and use them for fertilizer.

It made me think about how if we really want to eat locally it would mean being more in concert with nature. So maybe during those times it is super hot you go without eggs for a few weeks. Believe me, I hate it, 'cause I love eggs. And of course, with bigger farm operations like Good Earth (the new local supplier we're also using) it is possible to have eggs year round. So we don't have to, but......

Just something to share.