Bird flu in Washington cracks Alaska’s egg supply chain

On a latest, snowy afternoon in Dillingham, Michael Yingst scanned the dairy part on the AC grocery retailer.

“I got here right here to search for eggs,” he mentioned. “Tomorrow is my birthday and I hoped to make some banana cream pie. But it surely appears to be like like we’re going to be out of luck for some time.”

Like Yingst, individuals throughout Alaska are working into egg shortages. Many are posting pictures on social media of empty cabinets and attempting to crowdsource the place they will purchase eggs. Even massive grocery chains like Fred Meyer are limiting what number of cartons of eggs individuals can purchase. In the meantime, costs are spiking. Rural areas are getting hit particularly exhausting, as a result of many solely have one or two grocery shops, which leaves them with fewer choices. And the shortages aren’t anticipated to let up any time quickly.

“It’s not excellent news in any approach,” mentioned Kyle Hill, the president of the Alaska Business Co. “It’s actually farm-dependent.”

The Alaska Business Co., or AC, has 35 shops within the state and calls itself the “largest retailer in rural Alaska.” It will get most of its eggs from Washington state, and a kind of suppliers, Oakdell Farms, was not too long ago hit exhausting by the chicken flu.

“They’ve needed to sadly cope with over 1,000,000 birds which have had avian flu in that farm,” Hill mentioned. “So there’s large provide points, within the sense that we’re struggling to get any eggs in any respect.”

Once they can get eggs, it’s only a trickle. Hill mentioned AC is telling its suppliers that rural communities don’t have loads of choices on the subject of groceries. If AC doesn’t have eggs, meaning a complete group may not have eggs, which then turns into a meals safety concern. However Hill mentioned it’s robust, as a result of AC is competing with massive, nationwide chains.

“They’re attempting to leverage their nationwide scale and their nationwide distribution to get eggs from elsewhere,” he mentioned. “However, you already know, when it comes all the way down to it, there’s solely so many eggs on the market.”

Hill mentioned pressuring suppliers solely goes up to now. It’s a provide and demand concern, and all retailers are pushing their suppliers.

“It’s a battle, as a result of each retailer is making their case to the identical suppliers,” he mentioned. “After which this isn’t even only a Pacific Northwest concern. Down in Texas over the vacations a buddy mentioned that they noticed eggs at $9 a dozen, as a result of they’ve a farm down there that’s having avian flu points. So it’s actually farm-dependent.”

Costs aren’t going to be any cheaper in rural Alaska. And when provides run low, prices go up.

On the entrance of the Dillingham AC retailer this week, Sarah Nanalook waited for fellow customers. She had traveled with them about 30 miles over the tundra on snowmachines from their hometown of Manokotak to Dillingham to buy groceries.

“We solely have one small buying and selling retailer which is owned by Manokotak Native Restricted. There’s no different retailer,” she mentioned.

She mentioned she has watched the value of eggs skyrocket.

“For Christmas I had to purchase two dozen for, I imply, nearly $20,” she mentioned.

A smaller group of Alaskans, like Alicia Swan, are leaning on their yard flocks of chickens. Alicia Swan perused the dairy aisle, however not for eggs. That’s as a result of she and her household personal chickens.

“Out of 17 birds we’re averaging six to 9 eggs a day,” she mentioned. “That’s fairly good.”

But it surely’s not straightforward to maintain chickens in rural Alaska, significantly within the winter, when chickens have a tendency to provide fewer eggs.

“It may be difficult getting feed right here,” she mentioned. “Particularly throughout the winter, you need to frequently give them water as a result of it freezes, hold them heat. We give them further gentle to maintain them laying eggs. They form of have a trip throughout the winter.”

And what about Michael Yingst and his birthday banana cream pie? He’s attempting to provide you with a brand new plan.

“Researching egg substitutes and see if there’s anything I can use as a alternative for eggs,” he mentioned. “However they’re form of irreplaceable on the subject of loads of issues. So hopefully we’ll determine that out.”

Dillingham’s different grocery retailer, Bigfoot, can be out of eggs, however hopes to get a supply early subsequent week. In the meantime, AC expects a cargo to shops all through the state by the top of subsequent week, however anticipates the egg scarcity will final for at the least a pair months.

Get in contact with the creator at izzy@kdlg.org or 907-842-2200.

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