Iowa egg production leads the nation

Egg production is big business in Iowa.

The Hawkeye State has more than 80 major egg producers. The state’s approximately 55 million layers generate a remarkable 13.5 billion eggs each year, making Iowa the No. 1 egg-producing state in the nation.

The Iowa egg industry is a big purchaser of Iowa’s other agricultural products. The state’s layers consume 55 million bushels of corn and 27.5 million bushels of soybeans every year.

Iowa, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania and California are the top five egg-producing states in the United States. Together, they account for 50 percent of this country’s egg production. In the nation as a whole, some 281 million egg-laying hens generate more than 215 million cases of shell eggs per year.

Americans don’t eat as many eggs as they once did. Even so, eggs remain a popular food choice and consumer demand is growing. Per capita egg consumption was 402 eggs per year at its high point in 1945. Today it’s in the neighborhood of 258 eggs per person each year and has been edging steadily upward since the early 1990s.

Most of the nation’s egg production goes toward meeting that demand, but egg producers also make a positive contribution to our nation’s export economy. Eggs and egg products are sold worldwide. For example, during 2006, the United States exported 55.7 million dozen table eggs, valued at $36.5 million.

May is National Egg Month. The next time you consume this tasty product, enjoy the moment but reflect also on the egg industry’s importance to Iowa.