Cage-Free Large White Trades 16 Cents Below Conventional

The national large white benchmark reached 45.0 cents a dozen, up 28.7% on the week from 35.0 cents, per USDA. Cage-free large white loose moved the opposite direction, falling to 29.0 cents from 37.9 cents and finishing 16.0 cents below conventional, an inversion of 36%. Per USDA's Sep 25 Egg Markets Overview, negotiated prices for loose caged eggs were steady to higher on moderate retail interest.

• California cage-free large brown loose: 80.0 cents/doz, down 31.6% week over week from 117 cents, the largest weekly drop in this issue's data (USDA).
• USDA organic nest run tier 1 brown (national): 135 cents/doz, down 25.0% week over week from 180 cents (USDA).
• Large brown conventional loose (national): 110 cents/doz, up 15.8% week over week from 95.0 cents (USDA).
• Medium white conventional loose (national): 22.2 cents/doz, down 15.7% week over week from 26.3 cents (USDA).
• US shell egg inventory: 1,452 thousand cases as of Sep 28 (USDA), 1.1% below the trailing four-week average. Northwest conventional stocks at 62.1 thousand cases are 15% below the five-year median, the tightest regional position in this issue's data. Midwest conventional stocks at 570 thousand cases run 17% above the five-year median.
• HPAI (APHIS): No confirmed detections in commercial layer flocks in the last 60 days. Disease pressure is absent from the supply picture.

Data note: California cage-free specialty series, including jumbo brown loose delivered, nest run tier 2 brown delivered, nutritionally-enhanced large white and vegetarian-fed large white, have not updated in over two weeks. Figures from those specific series are stale.