Egg Prices Drop 12 Cents
(Continued from Pane 1) cialion or building and equip-
Asked about the figures, De- ment - aic considered, he said
lano said, "This is very serious if Some local egg pioduccis at
tiiis continues for the next coup- the Lancaster County Poulliy
le of months. We can look (if it Association board meeting Thui
continues) for very, very low ada y n ‘S ht confirmed that pies
(egg) prices beginning early next ent prices are hovering
year." around the break even point.
One said his Hock is losing a
little money at the new prices,
but another figures his cost of
production at around 28 cent<*
still leaving some profit.
One noted that the 37 cent
Urner Barry quote is for the big
Another Collapse?
Asked what egg prices might
J>e early next year if layer hatch
continues to climb at 15 to 20
per cent, he said, “I hate to put
a figure. It’ll be in the low 30s or
below.”
That would be another drop of
around 25 per cent from present
prices, which Delano describes
as “break even.”
A local producer described the
potential situation early next
year as similar to the 1966 situ
ation in which many egg pro
ducers were “shaken out,” help
ing pave the way for the recent
high egg prices.
Umer Barry quote for fancy
large eggs was 49 on Thursday,
March 26, last day of trading be
fore Easter. The price opened at
39 Monday, following the Easter
holidays, off 10 cents. The price
continued down Thursday to 37
cents for fancy large whites and
38 for fancy large browns.
Delano said the 37 cent price
can be expected to net Pennsyl
vania egg producers about 32
cents after deduction of transpor
tation and other marketing costs,
and averaging in lower priced
smaller eggs.
Average Break Even
The present market is just
“break even” for the average
producer with the average flock
when all costs, including depre-
TAKE A CHOICE
NOT A CHANCE
WITH THE ALLIS-CHALMERS 600 SERIES PLANTING SYSTEM
CHOICE
5 frames... 2-40" to
20" rows ... or si
between.
CHOICE
Tillage attachments . . .
packer wheels . . > NO
TIL coulters.
Allen H. Mot*
Farm Equipment
A
/«■ifem
H m
Aus-ouomers
NO-TIL Is an Allis-Chalmers trademark.
USD A Backs April
As Omelet Month
The Poultry and Egg Nation
al Board has been notified that
the Consumer and Marketing
Service of the U S Department
of Agriculture will add sup
port to the industry’s promo
tion plans for April Omelet
Month.
“Eggs will be listed on the
Department’s April Plentiful
Foods List and will include a
merchandising opportunity in
support of Apiil Omelet Month,
stated W E Mauver, Jr , Du ec
tor of the USDA’s Poultry Divi
sion He also added that eggs
will appear on the Smait Shop
per Food Guide for April
The request for this support
was made in early October by
the Poultry and Egg National
Board on behalf of the egg in
dustry.
New Holiand
ger higher priced eggs When all
the eggs aic aveiaged together,
the farmer gets substantially less
He figuies a cost of pioduclion
in the 30 to 32 cent aiea is bicak
even at present prices
Costs, income Vary
Anothei fanner noted, how
evei, that costs and output will
vaiy widely from Hock to (lock,
even on the same farm. Besides
vanations in egg output, he said,
some flocks cost as much as two
cents extra just for feed.
Geneial feeling of the local
The Plentiful Foods Progiam
increases marketing efforts
through the cooperation of food
distubutors, both wholesale and
retail, and the food service in
dustries These groups will re
ceive the egg merchandising
listings in adiance of the pro
motion
The Smart Shopper senes has
been added to the USDA’s mar
keting program to bioaden the
maiketmg eftoit This infoima
tion is designed to leach low
income groups and those leceiv
ing food assistance
“These marketing progi ams
by the USDA’s Consiimei and
Marketing Service backed by
our own promotional efforts
during April, will help ease any
over-supply that may exist,’'
commented Dr. I A Wilhelm,
PENB president.
Nissley Form Service L. H. Brubaker
Washington Boro, Pa. Lititz, Pa.
L. H. Brubaker N. G. Myers & Son
Lancaster, Pa. Kheems, Pa.
men, however, was that pi ices
can't go much lower without
seiiously hutting egg pioduceis
One noted that producers who
have long been in the business,
and benefited from leccnl high
prices, piobably can continue in
definitely under adverse condi
tions. but that many faimcis
just getting in the business stand
to be huit.
Delano said a drop In egg pric
es following Easter is traditional
Big egg sales before Easier are
followed by a penod after Easter
when “nobody buys them.”
This year, a surplus situation
existed, prices had been expected
to drop something duung the
year, rumors of egg dumping
staited and suddenly the puce
quoted by Urner Barry, the con
tioversial New York egg price
pace setter, were slashed
No Egg Exchange
Delano thinks me puce slide futuies on Januaiy 21, 1970
was made more seveie by the ie- showed January eggs at 62 90,
cent elimination of the New Yoik but Maich eggs at 48 25, Apnl
and Chicago egg exchanges. eggs at 42.00 and May eggs at
As recently as the Lancastei 38 25
Faiming March 14 edition, how- Delano noted that prices in
ever, it was reported that United New Yoik last winter langed all
Egg Produceis officials weie “ju- the way from 31 to 63 cents,
bilant” over the announcement W ith an average of 48 At 63, he
that the Chicago Meicantile Ex sai( j > “ we felt they weie too high,
change had agreed to discontinue no w we feel they’re too low ”
trading the cash call on eggs Such seveie puce fluctuations
The last Uading day was Maich aie bad for the egg mdustiy, he
13 said, because “the consume! nev-
UE P had long contended the er knows from one week to the
Chicago egg cash call could easi- next what he’s going to pay.”
ly be misused by commodity fu
tuies speculators to the detri
ment of the public and egg pio
dueers alike.
But Delano said this week he suited fiom changes in egg sup
believes egg prices would have (Continued on Page 12)
150 choices .;. to select the perfect planting system
for your farm. The 600 Series even lets you change
your mind later, without changing planters. So take
a choice, not a chance. No wonder “Going Orange is
Going Great!”
CHOICE
18 planting units... hop
peroptions for every crop.
More than 20 different
planting unit attachments.
La ncastcr Farming. Saturday. April 4.1970—9
stabali/ul this week above 40
cents if the exchanges had con
tinued He descubed the t\-
change as a public niaikel plate,
the only one available foi eggs,
vvheie pel sons who disagiee with
the selling price “could bid lush
er ”
Under me present situation,
knowledgeable egg maiketing
officials can look at the facts and
say that eggs are oversold, but
theic’s no way to cairy the point
in the maiket place, according to
Delano.
Lancaster Farming files show
that in closing bids December 31,
1969 egg futures dealers pie
dieted egg prices of 43 80 in
Maich, 39.40 in Apul and 38.00
in May. These prices were set
while January eggs weie 51.30.
its peak, the Chicago fiesh egg
CHOICE
CHOICE
Liquid or granular insect
icide ... band or m-the
,row.
CHOICE
s==jSLiquid or granular herbi
cide . . . band or total
coverage.
Grumelli Form Service
Quarryville. Pa.
Roy H. Buch, Inc.
Ephrata, R.D. 2
No Public Forum
As the egg market zoomed to
Demand Change
But he noted the severe price
fluctuations so far have not ie-
CHOICE
50r6 drive wheel options
for each planting unit.