# Tightening egg supply and surge in retail demand pushed wholesale egg prices to record levels in March | Economic Research Service

> Wholesale egg prices more than tripled in March 2020 to a record $3.07 per dozen as COVID-19 drove retail demand up sharply. Prices then fell back to $1.05 per dozen by the end of April. Table egg production fell year over year for the first time since 2016.

- Date: 2020-06-01 · published 2020-06-01T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: report · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/52624-tightening-egg-supply-and-surge-in-retail-demand-pushed-wholesale-egg-prices-to
- Commodities: [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md), [Soybean Meal](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SBM.md)

## Why it matters

Lower layer flock numbers and shifting egg demand affect the need for layer feed, and the sharp swings signal volatile poultry demand. Feed buyers serving layer operations may see softer demand if flock expansion is slow.

## Read by commodity

- SBM: neutral
- CORN: neutral

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2025-06-03 | [Retail egg prices fall, following declining wholesale prices \| Economic Research Service](https://feedsoft.ai/events/24209-retail-egg-prices-fall-following-declining-wholesale-prices-economic-research.md) | -2.6% | -2.2% |
| CORN | 2021-11-30 | [Unseasonably low October wholesale egg prices reported in advance of 2021 holiday season \| Economic Research Service](https://feedsoft.ai/events/44060-unseasonably-low-october-wholesale-egg-prices-reported-in-advance-of-2021.md) | +6.2% | +3.1% |
| CORN | 2019-09-05 | [ICYMI... U.S. inventory of table-egg laying hens grew to its highest levels ever in 2018 \| Economic Research Service](https://feedsoft.ai/events/57072-icymi-u-s-inventory-of-table-egg-laying-hens-grew-to-its-highest-levels-ever-in.md) | -2.8% | +3.3% |
| CORN | 2019-08-19 | [USDA commodity-income support levels have increasingly varied since 2015 \| Economic Research Service](https://feedsoft.ai/events/57593-usda-commodity-income-support-levels-have-increasingly-varied-since-2015.md) | -1.9% | -3.6% |
| CORN | 2021-12-29 | [USDA’s Corn Output Projections Inform Futures Price Movements \| Economic Research Service](https://feedsoft.ai/events/43620-usda-s-corn-output-projections-inform-futures-price-movements-economic-research.md) | +2.9% | +3.8% |
| SBM | 2026-06-16 | [Soybeans and Oil Crops - Market Outlook \| Economic Research Service](https://feedsoft.ai/events/18823-soybeans-and-oil-crops-market-outlook-economic-research-service.md) | -0.1% | +4.0% |
| SBM | 2024-09-16 | [Oil Crops Outlook: September 2024 \| Economic Research Service](https://feedsoft.ai/events/28415-oil-crops-outlook-september-2024-economic-research-service.md) | +0.7% | +0.4% |
| SBM | 2021-05-13 | [Soy stocks tighten; biofuel demand strong in May report](https://feedsoft.ai/events/46963-soy-stocks-tighten-biofuel-demand-strong-in-may-report.md) | -9.3% | -13.4% |

## Sources

- ers.usda.gov: http://ers.usda.gov/data-products/charts-of-note/chart-detail?chartId=98520

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.