# Cage-Free Premium Narrows to 0.8 Cents at 55.8-Cent Benchmark _Jul 14, 2026_ > The large white benchmark holds at 55.8 cents a dozen. The cage-free premium has compressed to just 0.8 cents above conventional, near-parity. A Utah HPAI detection and tight Northwest inventory are the key supply signals. _Numbers as of Jul 14, 2026 pull._ The large white national benchmark held at **55.8 cents a dozen** this week, per USDA, sustaining last week's recovery from 29.7 cents. APHIS confirmed HPAI on July 6 in Utah, a **1.2 million-bird** commercial layer flock depopulated, removing that volume from supply. National shell egg inventory stood at **1,424 thousand cases** as of July 13, 1.8% below its trailing four-week average. [Chart: National brown extra large shell egg price (loose, ¢/dozen)](https://the-scramble.com/national/extra-large-brown) ([data](https://the-scramble.com/national/extra-large-brown.md) — chart image: https://the-scramble.com/charts/national/extra-large-brown/chart.png) - **Extra large white national loose at 59.4 cents a dozen** (USDA), up 62.8% on the week from 36.5 cents. - **Cage-free premium at 0.8 cents a dozen.** USDA national large white cage-free loose is at 56.6 cents vs 55.8 cents conventional, a 1% differential. A supply shock that lifts conventional faster than cage-free compresses the structural premium. - **Northwest conventional inventory at 55.6 thousand cases,** 25% below its five-year median, the widest below-normal read in this week's report. The region gained 8% week over week but the deficit vs the historical median persists. - **Northeast conventional inventory at 202 thousand cases,** 20% above its five-year median, moving in the opposite direction from the Northwest. - **New York large white delivered store door at 98.0 cents a dozen,** up 34.2% on the week from 73.0 cents (USDA). - **Midwest large white paid to producers (FOB) at 47.0 cents a dozen,** up 42.4% on the week from 33.0 cents (USDA). Retail feature activity: 305 stores advertised national large white 12-count at $0.93 the week of July 6, per USDA. **Data note:** 56 series including California market prices have not updated in more than two weeks. California cage-free figures in this week's mover rankings should be treated as stale until USDA resumes publication. --- Canonical URL: https://the-scramble.com/issues/2026-07-14