No Chicken Feed: The World Shells Out for Iowa’s Eggs

Hunting for Easter eggs this weekend? You're in the right place. Iowa may be famous for its corn and hogs, but did you know that we are also home to 53 million chickens that dedicate their entire lives to laying eggs?

Just last year those chickens laid more than 13.9 billion eggs, making Iowa an unmatched powerhouse in egg production. And the egg industry pumps tens of millions of dollars into the state's economy.

According to Elizabeth Dahlstrom, director of consumer affairs for the Iowa Egg Council, this state is way ahead of the nearest competition. "We are definitely the No. 1 egg-producing state in the nation," said Dahlstrom in an interview with Iowa Independent. "Our eggs are exported all over the country and the world."

And deviled or dyed, it's very likely that the eggs enjoyed in millions of homes this Easter holiday will have come from Iowa. It's an important time of year for egg producers, bringing with it a boost in sales. "Egg production is fairly steady throughout the year, but there's a peak at Easter and during other holidays. But Easter is really the biggest," she said.

Dahlstrom said most of the egg production in Iowa is located in the northwestern and north-central areas of the state. "Palo Alto County and Sioux County are big egg producers," she said. "And also Wright County and Humboldt County."

It's no coincidence that egg production has grown steadily in Iowa. It takes a lot of chicken feed to support millions and millions of chickens laying billions of eggs, and Iowa has plenty of chicken feed. In 2007, Dahlstrom said, Iowa egg-laying chickens consumed 50 million bushels of corn and 453,000 tons of soybean meal.

While Iowa eggs are purchased from grocery store coolers all around the country, many are processed into other products right here in the state. In addition to being tops in egg production, Iowa is also the No. 1 egg-processing state.

There's a growing market for "liquid egg" products, according to Dahlstrom. "There's been a big increase in the past few years in the market for liquid eggs," she said. "Some facilities, all they do is produce liquid egg and send it directly to restaurants and hospitals and schools and food service operations. A lot of the eggs go to the grocery store, but a lot of the eggs are now being processed and placed directly into food products."

And all of that cracking means a lot of eggshells. But they don't go to waste. "Eggshells are made mostly of calcium carbonate, so they can be used in vitamins, pharmaceuticals, or as a soil amendment," said Dahlstrom.

Eggs are a healthy food that everyone should enjoy this Easter holiday, said Dahlstrom.

"The egg has an interesting story as it relates to nutrition," she said. "Back in the 1940s and 50s, and before that, doctors prescribed eggs to be included in people's diets because they're so full of vitamins and minerals." But she said in the 1980s the egg developed a bad reputation. Health concerns arose when it was thought that the cholesterol in eggs caused heart disease. "But as scientists did a little more research, it turns out that that isn't true," said Dahlstrom "And no study, ever, has shown that eating eggs increases your risk of heart disease. So now it's back to where we were before — eggs are great for you, they do not cause heart disease, they're very healthy, they have unique properties,  and people should include them in their diet."