'Chicken feed has gone up for sure. My egg prices stay the same': Shopping from local farmers could get you better quality food for grocery store prices

Jan 29, 2024

BLACK EARTH (WKOW) -- The holiday season is just around the corner and with food prices rising, some people are looking for alternative places to get their groceries, like local farms.

"What we charge for eggs for a better product is almost equal, or some cases less, than what you buy in a grocery store," Nichole Schwoerer, Black Earth farmer, said.

Schwoerer has about 100 chickens on her home farm. It started as a small passion project.

"I ended up just getting more chickens and asking my husband to add them to my coop," Schwoerer said.

As she realized she loved raising and having chickens, they got more. But soon they had too many eggs just for the two of them. Especially in the summer when she can get between five to six dozen eggs a day.

Rather than letting them go to waste, she started to sell them.

"Early on [people said], 'I paid a lot more money than this for eggs in the grocery store, and they're not as good of quality,'" Schwoerer said. "Their eggshells are harder, and their yolks are more yellow. Those kinds of things show a difference from commercially made or commercially produced eggs."

Compared to last year, grocery prices are up 13 percent and eggs have seen an even bigger rise--up more than 30 percent.

But Schwoerer says that's not the case for her eggs even with prices rising on the back end.

"Chicken feed has gone up for sure. Four to five dollars a bag, over the last two years," Schwoerer said. "And my egg prices stayed the same."

A dozen eggs from their coop hasn't gone above four dollars.

"I like knowing that I know what they ate, and what they get fed and where their food comes from," Schwoerer said. "That it's a homemade ration from a feed mill and not just a commercial made pellet or crumble."

Schwoerer says shopping from local farmers can not only increase the quality of food you get but can make getting groceries a bit more exciting.

"When people come, they can ask us questions and bring their kids and they know where their eggs came from," Schwoerer said. "They didn't just come from a grocery store shelf. they can feed my chickens treats, they can have their hands on it. It's a great educational experience."

If you want to find local farmers in your area selling eggs, meat or dairy products visit Farm Direct Wisconsin.