Demand For Eggs Fluctuated Over Past Year

It's been one year since COVID-19 arrived in Manitoba.

 

Catherine Kroeker-Klassen is the Board Chair for Manitoba Egg Farmers.

 

"People were buying all kinds of things. One of those things that they were buying was eggs. There was a shortage of eggs at that time, or so it seemed but there was a lot of things happening behind the scenes as far as restaurants starting to close and hospitality and those kind of things and so we had to divert eggs. Instead of going to those places like restaurants and hospitality, now we had to start sending eggs to the retail side, to the grocery stores, because that's were the demand was."

 

She talked about how egg farmers adjusted.

 

"As egg farmers, we certainly did our part and tried to adjust in that way. We work with our industry partners, with grading stations and retailers and there has certainly been a swing, back and forth, on the whole demand for eggs and then restaurants starting to open up again and so we've had to divert eggs here and there where they're needed. COVID certainly has had an effect on eggs for sure."

 

Kroeker-Klassen notes you can't tell a hen to stop laying an egg just because the demand isn't there.

 

"There were some flocks of hens who were taken out early, just to ensure that we didn't have too many eggs in the system when they weren't needed and now it seems like things are ramping up again a little bit. Certain provinces, and Manitoba as well, is opening up more things. Restaurants and those kinds of things and that makes a difference and we want to make sure that we're supplying those needs that all those people have."

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.