Benchmark Retreats to 91.4 Cents, Extra Large White Off 19% on the Week

The large white benchmark fell to 91.4 cents a dozen, down 12.5% on the week from 104 cents (USDA national 5-day weighted average, large white loose conventional). Regional inventories are broadly elevated: Midwest conventional stocks stand 19% above the 5-year median, the Northeast 15% above and South Central 11% above.

• Extra large white conventional loose fell to 90.4 cents/doz, down 19.1% week over week from 112 cents, the largest weekly decline in the national price series for this issue.
• Medium white conventional loose rose to 24.2 cents/doz, up 39.5% week over week from 17.4 cents, running counter to the broader conventional-price retreat. No attributed driver is available in this week's data.
• Cage-free large white loose fell to 88.1 cents/doz, down 7.3% on the week from 95.0 cents. The cage-free premium is inverted at -3.3 cents below the conventional benchmark (USDA national).
• New York large white delivered store door fell to 140 cents/doz, down 5.4% from 148 cents last week. Extra large at the same delivery basis fell to 142 cents/doz, down 5.3% from 150 cents.
• US shell egg inventory stood at 1,486 thousand cases as of August 10, 2.8% above the trailing 4-week average (USDA). The Midwest leads regional builds at 546 thousand cases, 19% above the 5-year median. The Northwest is the one exception, at 73.0 thousand cases, 5% below the 5-year median, though up 16.4% on the week.

APHIS confirmed a 1.2 million-hen layer flock infected in Utah on July 6. No additional egg-layer detections appear in the 60-day window for this issue.

Retail: 81 stores featured national large white 12-count cartons at $1.34 the week of August 3 (USDA), consistent with the seasonal summer lull ahead of the back-to-school pickup.

Data note: 59 series, including multiple California price series, have not updated in over two weeks. Figures from those series are not reflected in this issue.