Farm sustainability and regeneration

 Long term farm sustainability and economic production can only  be maintained if farms reflect natural ecosystems. The concept of regenerative agriculture is alien to many, but in Australia, farm management has frequently adapted to changes in commodity prices,  markets, climatic and natural resource conditions. Natural ecosystems are extremely resilient and utilise only renewable inputs. Over thousands of years they  have shown high productivity, an ability to maintain environmental quality and  adaptivness to any natural disturbance. By weaving together the elements of  microclimate, annual and perennial plants, water and soil  management with human  needs, environmental and hollistic farming systems have been shown to be energy efficient and high yielding. An accepted definition of sustainable farming, is an integrated system of plant and animal production having a site-specific application that will, over the long  term: 

• satisfy human food and fibre  needs;
• enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon  which agricultural economies depend; 
• make the most efficient use of non-renewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls;
• sustain the economic viability of farm operations; and
• enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole

It seems like a bit of a mouthful, but it really isn't too hard and it's exactly what we do at  the Freeranger Egg Farm. The Australian Government's  involvement in natural resource management policy has increased since the 1980's,  as the scale and complexity of land and water degradation and loss of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes has been recognised. Landcare has been a useful tool  in promoting incremental changes to natural resource management which boost the  farm system. However, Landcare has limitations as a tool to achieve significant  outcomes in biodiversity conservation and controlling off site impacts. Landcare  has raised awareness of resource management issues in the rural community but  the widespread adoption of more ecologically sustainable farming practices is  constrained by a diversion of financial resources into job creation rather than  on-ground work, a lack of skills and appropriate management technologies.
Our  property is ecologically important because it is a vegetated link between the  Grantville Flora & Fauna Reserve and the Bass River and forms part of the  only riparian forest left on the river.
Farm  activities were designed to minimise off-site and on-site impacts. All creek  lines are vegetated to maintain water quality run off into the Bass. A study  backed by the Federal Government's Envirofund program found that free range  farming practices are viable and have minimal impacts on the environment.
The  study, carried out on five properties in the Port Phillip and Westernport  Catchment Authority area showed  that properly managed free range egg farms have many benefits - including long term sustainability.
The Freeranger Farm was  one of the participants and we believe that low density production is the key to  sustainability. "It doesn't make any real difference whether you are running  cattle, sheep or chickens, if the stocking rate is too high you will run into  trouble" is our philosophy.
It's hard to justify European farming practices  in many parts of Australia - they simply don't work with our soil types and  climate. The current drought is a clear example of the stupidity in trying to  maintain exotic pastures and growing crops which require huge and unsustainable inputs.
Apart from the massive problems of erosion and salinity, the inputs needed to maintain unrealistically high production levels create unhealthy nutrient loads and reduce farm viability over the years.
The report demonstrates that stocking densities have a direct impact on feed costs.  Supplementary feed inputs rose significantly as stocking rates increased.
Once the results were produced in table form it was easy to see that a free range egg farm with a stocking rate of 9 Dry Sheep Equivalent (DSE) per hectare, produced an egg laying rate of 70% with feed consumption of 26 kg per bird per year. A farm with a stocking rate of 75 DSE per hectare produced a lay rate of 65% with feed consumption almost double at 48 kg per bird.
At current prices that's an added cost of nearly $10 a year for each bird - which doesn't sound much until you multiply it over the whole flock. The Freeranger Farm is at the most productive end of the scale.
Pasture management here has been aimed at increasing the amount of native grasses in the vegetated cover. The report shows that soils on the farm are acidic and have relatively low nutrient levels.
We regarded it as counter productive to try to change the soil balance to favour exotic grasses and a management style was chosen with a preference for adapting farm practices to fit the natural soil types on this farm.
Microlaena stipoides is one of  Australia's most important native grasses with a widespread distribution in the  eastern States. Its bright green colour, drought and frost resistance as well as  shade tolerance make it superior to any non-native species as it has evolved for  thousands of years in the dry and unpredictable Australian climate.
It is  easily out-competed by exotic grasses in neutral or alkaline soil conditions,  preferring acidic soils like those at Grantville. During the trial, lime was  only applied to small test sites. The majority of the pasture had no inputs  other than chicken manure from the free-ranging hens and native grass coverage  increased by about 25%. There was also a high level of activity by earthworms and dung beetles.
We appear to have at least two types of dung beetles on the property because there is evidence of activity all year round and some species are known to be dormant over winter.
The farm is a member of the Western Port Biosphere Reserve.

Deep Ecology
 management practices reflect our view that our activities must have minimal negative impacts. We are a part of the environment, not apart from it.

Rural difficulties caused by incompetent bureaucrats, Councillors and Greenies

 It’s hard enough making a living on the land, but its made even more difficult when dealing with incompetent Shire Councillors and staff together with a handful of vocal greenies who are unable to articulate their specific problems.

Bass Coast Shire Council is trying to bully State Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny to expedite approval of draft amendment C181 as a planning overlay which it claims will protect large areas of native vegetation around Western Port.

The areas in question are already protected from the threat of sand extraction by the Regional Sand Extraction strategy Lang Lang to Grantville. Gazetted in 1996. Please contact your local Councillor and demand that the Shire meets its legal obligations. Any of you who support the fringe individuals calling themselves Save Westernport Woodlands, call them and suggest they read the sand extraction strategy before they create a wasteland. The Freeranger Eggs farm is part of the wildlife corridor identified in the Sand Strategy and is a vital link between the Grantville Nature Conservation Reserve and Bass River.

Egg farmers' lament

 The start of winter always reminds us of the major difficulty faced by free range egg farmers. The only way to keep up constant egg production is to have hens locked in climate controlled sheds with full lighting. Genuine free range farming of hens makes it difficult to maintain egg supplies for regular customers and impossible to have spare eggs for occasional buyers who suddenly decide they want to try real free range eggs laid on farms where hens are always free to roam on pasture and only go into sheds to lay their eggs in nest boxes and for protection from predators at night when it's dark..

Egg cartons delivered

 A local friend delivered 1200 egg cartons yesterday after picking them up in Dandenong, They should last us a while before we need to restock. The days have gone when we trucked  cartons on pallets and kept a year’s supply in the shed.  Now, age and health issues have slowed us down so we have cut flock numbers and it’s not economic to buy large quantities. We still print our labels on the farm.

Red tape, taxes and charges kill many enterprises

 Government charges and red tape are killing many operations, large and small. The combination of local Government rates. Land tax and endless compulsory levies  cause many to give up and shut their doors.

Egg production in Australia - More free range farms needed

 A published overview of the Australian egg industry by Food Standards Australia New Zealand says that Egg production initially started here when producers began going beyond just providing for the immediate family and commenced supplying local areas. Over time, increasing flock sizes were needed to meet demand from growing urbanisation in Australia . This has now grown into an industry producing 6.98 billion eggs with a gross production value of approximately $1.37 billion in the 2023-24 financial year (Australian Eggs 2024). Sadly there are only one or two producers such as us at Freeranger Eggs, satisfying local demand for genuine low density free range eggs. There needs to be at least one close to every township.

June 7 - Phil Westwood's birthday and World Food Safety Day

 

Phil Westwood has made it to 80 today despite a few health challenges ( a severe stroke, atrial fibrillation, edema and a bout ofCellulitis.) That limited his activities around the farm over the past 10 years or so leaving Anne to do all the work. Recently there have been disappointments with local Bass Coast Shire Councillors and a few rabid individuals masquerading as environmentalists trying to overturn a landmark achievement in the Regional Sand Extraction Strategy Lang Lang to Grantville which protected vital native vegetation and identified key biolinks for the wildlife corridor.

The Grantville community, led by Anne and Phil lobbied the Victorian Government to restrict the destruction of native vegetation, wildlife habitat and groundwater resources. The actions from Grantville Action Group Inc. resulted in The Regional Sand Extraction Strategy, Lang Lang to Grantville which protected the natural environmental values by ensuring that cumulative impacts were considered as part of landscape-scale planning rather than allowing ad hoc decisions. The State Government approved the Strategy in 1996. However Shire Councillors and Save Westernport Woodlands individuals don’t like the strategy and are determined to destroy it.

What we do at Freeranger Eggs

 Welcome to Freeranger Eggs - the home of freerange eggs in Stanley Road, Grantville Victoria. Advancing age and health problems which culminated in a stroke and atrial fibrilation for Phil basically leaves Anne to farm on her own.  The workload has been cut down by reducing to one flock of around 200 ISA Browns. An eBook is available demonstrating how our 200 acre farm was run when we had over 1000 birds Our eBook shows how to set up your own free range farm business. The huge number of shameless people around pretending that the eggs they sell are 'free range' makes it almost impossible for Australian consumers to make informed decisions. Ministers for Consumer Affairs and the Federal Minister for Small business  made the decision even more complex as their absurd 10,000 hens per hectare standard for 'free range' eggs simply ensures that NO eggs sold in major supermarkets are actually free range. Australia's mindless labelling laws, are an added problem for consumers and farmers. So if you want free range eggs, don't go to a supermarket.  Ignore logos and accreditation claims - they are usually meaningless as accreditation processes have become a joke.  Most eggs labelled as free range are from intensive production systems wth high stocking densities and  beak-trimmed birds- even the biggest corporate producers resort to buying eggs from other sources to ensure sufficient numbers to meet their contracts with supermarkets.  Freeranger Eggs was one of very few genuine free range farms in the country. We had  an outdoor stocking density of 15 - 40 hens per hectare and we only package eggs laid on our farm. The number of hens on our 200 acre ( 80 hectare) property varied but we ran a maximum of 1000, depending on the time of year and demand. The farm is registered with Agriculture Victoria. The State Government changed the rules and Councils no longer conduct farm inspections. As a low density free range farm, we are part of a boutique industry with a niche market. We operate with  a comprehensive food safety and quality assurance program and we exceed  the standards of every accreditation body in Australia.

Chickens' interactions with humans

 An article in the World Poultry Science Journal from research in France reports a review of the abilities of chickens to interact with humans. Evidence suggests that chickens are far from passive or purely instinct-driven. Instead, they exhibit rich and nuanced behavioural responses to visual, tactile and auditory human cues. Chickens can discriminate between individual humans, are sensitive to human attentional states, and can even use human social cues to guide their decision-making. Farmers who interact in a calm and positive manner with individual chickens are shown to improve wellbeing across the entire flock. Regular positive human contact reduces stress in chickens, improves immune function and egg production.

The researchers concluded that chickens learn about humans by observing their flock mates.

Talking Chickens

 Communicating with chickens on the farm has become part of everyday life for us. Few people think about hens as intelligent, however, over the years, scientists have found that this bird can be deceptive and cunning, that it possesses communication skills on par with those of some primates and that it uses sophisticated signals to convey its intentions. When making decisions, the chicken takes into account its own prior experience and knowledge surrounding the situation. It can solve complex problems and empathizes with individuals that are in danger.These new insights into the chicken mind hint that certain complex cognitive abilities traditionally attributed to primates alone may be more widespread in the animal kingdom than previously thought. It has taken researchers almost a century to figure out what is going on in the brains of chickens. The first inklings emerged from studies conducted in the 1920s, when Norwegian biologist Thorleif Schjelderup-Ebbe established that the birds have a dominance system, which he named the “pecking order” after noting that chickens will enforce their leadership by administering a sharp peck of the beak to underlings whenever they get ideas above their station. Decades later, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, categorized birds' calls and found that chickens have a repertoire of about 24 different sounds, many of which seem to be specific to certain events such as threats from birds of prey or ground predators. Interpreting their different calls is fun for us, but often a matter life or death for them.

International recognition for Freeranger Eggs blog

 Our Blog has again been recognised internationally as  one of the Top 90 Poultry Blogs on the web. We are  listed in Feedspots2026 Edition.FeedSpot helps you find the best blogs on the web. 

https://bloggers.feedspot.com/

https://www.feedspot.com/fs/tk/GEbRwGUe4%2B0Z6d0RGfZP1u8OwO6TYSfzJRklWRQIIMjeRADvlVAYKFjfF0oJ%2BVkJHlbC451W4iZUJh1ZFg5F%2BxtR%2B%2FNdKBkbShUQTgjSGs%2FiGcWzZQ8SKVcU7kvW9FT%2BJkX17Z5KHB1T3d1ZHQVL1u9EAO%2BVUBgoRBcgURAEXQ4fFA%3D%3D

Health benefits for free range hens

 Most people know that domestic chickens have been selectively bred to lay an egg almost every day throughout their adult production life. They may not know that this places significant strain on the calcium metabolism in their bones. Research at the University of New England has shown that behavioural and physical impacts of housing systems begin during pullet development, but exercise is important throughout lay for maintaining bone strength. Free-range systems improve bone strength for those hens that range more, indicating that outdoor ranging can have long-term impacts on hen behaviour and subsequent skeletal health.

How to start a free range farm

 Free range farms need to be set up close to townships so customers don’t need to travel far to buy fresh produce. If you’ve ever thought about setting up your own free range farm, wait no longer. Our eBook on establishing a free range egg farm is available at any time. At a cost of just $245. It is a low-cost way of providing all the ideas and tools needed to establish your egg business and will help you prepare your own application to your local Shire to set up a free range farm. There's no need to engage a costly consultant to write the application for you. Free range egg production is a niche market which is why genuine free range eggs are never found in supermarkets Once payment is made, the eBook will be emailed as a Portable Document File (PDF). send payment to our  Bendigo Bank account.P &A Westwood BSB 633 000 Account 153356233

Proper farm management ensures clean eggs

 We are still getting questions from customers about washing eggs and if eggs should be stored in a refrigerator The answer to both is NO!

Eggs should never be washed even though American egg farms wash their eggs before sending them to market, in the mistaken belief that it will minimise the spread of any salmonella bacteria on the outside of the egg. They ignore the fact that washing removes a cuticle from the surface of the egg- a natural barrier which helps keep the inside of the egg free from bacteria. After washing, eggs should be oiled and must be refrigerated so that any bacteria the eggs come in contact with post-washing doesn't have a chance to invade the egg. In Australia and many other countries, eggs are not washed as a matter of course which means that
the cuticles will keep the egg’s interiors safe from any bacterial invasion for at least a couple of weeks at room temperature. Washing eggs generates more potential health problems. If eggs are so dirty that they need to be washed before sale, there is a flock management problem which the producer needs to rectify. Nest boxes and laying sheds must be kept clean with hens on fresh pasture (rather than on mud or manure).At Freeranger Eggs. Our management ensures that nestboxes are cleaned regularly with fresh woodshavings in each nest. Eggs are collected and packaged every day. If eggs are stored in a fridge, remove them and let them reach room temperature before using in a recipe.

Yolk colour additives

 Yolk colour is often seen by consumers as an indication of egg quality, but very few people  realise that yolk colour simply reflects the type of feed provided for the hens. Natural carotenes in green pasture and corn provide an excellent feed source. But large scale egg farms manipulate yolk colour by adding special manufactured pigment pre mixes to their poultry feed.

This enables brighter, more consistent yolk colour at lower inclusion rates, reducing overall pigmentation costs. Yellow egg colour technology is a significant part of the feed manufacturing process as producers try to enhance yolk colour in line with consumer expectations.

Cross-flow ventilation essential in poultry sheds

 Temperature control and good ventilation are essential for bird health on any egg farm. Ideal freerange housing provides ample shelter and good cross-flow ventilation in sheds with small flocks. Major production facilities with many thousands of birds in sheds require massive fans and cooling systems to prevent contamination and an extreme heat build-up causing mortalities in the sheds.Ammonia, temperature and humidity are fundamental air quality concerns in poultry housing.The main feature of course is for the hens to enjoy unrestricted access to the vegetated range.

Eating eggs lower risk of Alzheimers disease

 

A recent university study in Canada found that eating one or more eggs per week correlated with a 47% reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

The study found that participants who ate an egg or more every week were less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. These results are similar to those of a study in Finland that reported that individuals with a high egg consumption had better cognitive function than those with low egg intake.

 Researchers credit choline—a vital nutrient in whole eggs—as a key factor. Along with omega-3 fatty acids and lutein, also in eggs, choline has been shown to promote brain health and,  is linked to a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease.  

Chickens in backyards

 Chickens are gregarious creatures who like to live in small groups.Keeping chickens in a backyard sounds simple enough, but they need things to keep them occupied as well as food and water. Young hens can fly, so if they don’t like where they are, they are likely to fly out of the yard or pen. Fences need to be at least six feet high to contain them and keep out intruders.

The meaning of Free Range

 Welcome to Freeranger Eggs - the home of freerange eggs in Stanley Road, Grantville Victoria. This blog demonstrates how our 200 acre farm is run and  our eBook shows how to set up your own free range farm business. The huge number of shameless people around pretending that the eggs they sell are 'free range' makes it almost impossible for Australian consumers to make informed decisions. Ministers for Consumer Affairs and the Federal Minister for Small business  made the decision even more complex as their absurd 10,000 hens per hectare standard for 'free range' eggs simply ensures that NO eggs sold in major supermarkets are actually free range. Australia's mindless labelling laws, are an added problem for consumers and farmers. So if you want free range eggs, don't go to a supermarket.  Ignore logos and accreditation claims - they are usually meaningless as accreditation processes have become a joke.  Most eggs labelled as free range are from intensive production systems wth high stocking densities and  beak-trimmed birds- even the biggest corporate producers resort to buying eggs from other sources to ensure sufficient numbers to meet their contracts with supermarkets.  Freeranger Eggs is one of very few genuine free range farms in the country. We have  an outdoor stocking density of 15 - 40 hens per hectare and we only package eggs laid on our farm. The number of hens on our 200 acre ( 80 hectare) property varies but we run a maximum of 1000, depending on the time of year and demand. The farm is registered with Agriculture Victoria. The State Government changed the rules and Councils no longer conduct farm inspections. As a low density free range farm, we are part of a boutique industry with a niche market. We operate with  a comprehensive food safety and quality assurance program and We exceed  the standards of every accreditation body in Australia. Talk to us if you would like to set up your own free range egg business.

Beat the egg shortages

 

Free range farms need to be set up close to townships so customers don’t need to travel far to buy fresh produce.Anyone who has ever thought about setting up their own free range farm need wait no longer. Our eBook on establishing a free range egg farm is available at any time. At a cost of just $245. It is a low-cost way of providing all the ideas and tools needed to establish your egg business and will help you prepare your own application to your local Shire to set up a free range farm. There's no need to engage a costly consultant to write the application for you. Free range egg production is a niche market which is why genuine free range eggs are never found in supermarkets Once payment is made, the eBook will be emailed as a Portable Document File (PDF). send payment to our  Bendigo Bank account.P &A Westwood BSB 633 000 Account 153356233

Low temperatures cause drop in free range production

 Changes in temperature are just one  factor which affects the health of chickens and impacts egg production. Cold stress is an important management factor in regions where winter temperatures drop below 18 ° which is why most hens are kept locked in climate controlled sheds.On genuine free range farms, hens have unrestricted access to outdoor pasture. Although range areas may provide shelter with shrubs and other vegetation, egg production is inevitably affected.

A recent international study study investigated the effect of low temperature on laying performance and egg quality, . Low temperatures significantly increased live body weigh and feed intake, ambient environmental temperature below 16 °C results in negative effects on poultry production performance, such as egg production, egg mass, and egg quality.

Don't be fooled by yolk colour

At some times of year yolk colour will not be as vibrant as usual.  It is usual  for  green feed to disappear from  paddocks with the heat of summer or the cold of winter. The carotenes in green grass help to produce vibrant, bright yolks. To fool their customers, most egg producers put manufactured colouring additives in their poultry feed to maintain an illusion, some people have allergic reactions to the colourings and conclude that eggs are bad for them. It's not eggs causing the problems.  We refuse to adulterate the food we give our hens. So always expect variations in yolk colour. Be suspicious if the yolk colour is always the same (even within a one dozen egg pack).

Many of those additives are synthetic - adding to the chemical cocktail mix in food. But even those which are claimed to be 'natural'  can present health problems. They may be derived from natural products but they are manufactured in factories – often in China.

Three of the most widely used egg yolk pigmenters are:

Canthaxanin or Canthaxanthin which appears to be an unsafe additive. It can cause violent diarrhea, nausea, stomach cramps, dry and itchy skin, hives, and other side effects such as breathing problems; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, tongue or throat; a skin rash or hives and is particularly dangerous for pregnant or breast-feeding women or people allergic to vitamin A or carotenoids.

Capsicum

Allergic reactions to capsicum may occur. People should stop eating eggs with capsicum-based colouring and seek emergency medical attention if they experience symptoms of a serious allergic reaction including difficulty breathing; closing of the throat; swelling of the lips, tongue, or face; or hives.

Other less serious side effects have also been reported such as upset stomach; migraine; heartburn; diarrhea; or burning sensation in the mouth or throat.

Use of Capsicum is not recommended for pregnant women.

Marigold

Some people experience breathing problems, tightness in the chest, swelling of the mouth, tongue or throat. A skin rash or hives may occur.

Be more self-sufficient

 Current food and fuel shortages caused by war in the Middle East has brought home to many people the benefits of self-sufficiency, Grow your own food.

Australia’s food is mainly produced in rural areas and consumed in our cities, where most of the population lives. To chase sales, many food producers create high production by following intensive growing systems. However, top quality food is usually provided by low-volume producers following traditional farming methods with limited or no chemical inputs.The Freeranger Eggs farm at Grantville in Australia is an example of sustainable farming. The farm management plan takes a three pillars approach to how the farm operates. Animal welfare is one pillar, but equally important are land sustainability and food safety. Anne and Phil Westwood have encouraged similar free range farms to be set up around Australia.

The concept is to minimise the environmental footprint of egg production whilst maximising quality for consumers. Small scale production results in better animal health by effective disease control compared with intensive animal husbandry . It also allows the eggs to reach consumers far more quickly than industrial systems where eggs spend weeks or even months in warehouses.

Eggs to order

 Eggs laid on our family farm are supplied to customers within a day or two. You'll never find fresher eggs. As the hens are raised on pasture with a natural diet and total free-range access 24/7, there are no tastier eggs. You will never find our eggs in a supermarket. the eggs are laid to order, and we only supply local regular customers.Order by phone or email. At times we also have hens available for people who want their own fresh eggs .  As a result of our farming methods, the farm has a very low carbon footprint  making our eggs better than carbon neutral,they are carbon negative. our farm received international recognition in 2012 when we won the Energy Globe award for Australia. The International Energy Globe Awards (the World  Awards for Sustainability) have been presented annually in Austria since 1999 to recognise projects that 'make careful and economical use of resources and employ alternative energy sources.' ​ Demand for our eggs is always greater than the supply available so  new customers need to order in advance.Each week we are beset by IT firms offering SEO services which they claim will boost our sales. Clearly that is impossible as we already sell everything we produce and have no spare eggs looking for  intermittent customers.

More farms needed close to townships

 

Free range farms need to be set up close to townships so customers aren't forced  to travel far to buy fresh produce.if you’ve ever thought about setting up your own free range farm, wait no longer. Our eBook on establishing a free range egg farm is available at any time. At a cost of just $245. It is a low-cost way of providing all the ideas and tools needed to establish your egg business and will help you prepare your own application to your local Shire to set up a free range farm. There's no need to engage a costly consultant to write the application for you. Free range egg production is a niche market which is why genuine free range eggs are never found in supermarkets Once payment is made, the eBook will be emailed as a Portable Document File (PDF). send payment to our  Bendigo Bank account.P &A Westwood BSB 633 000 Account 153356233

Set up your own free range farm

 Strong consumer demand for genuine free range eggs has generated a big increase in the number of people thinking about starting their own free range egg business. A good starting point is reading an eBook on starting a free range farm available from us at Freeranger Eggs. Detailed information is available about things like shed requirements, food safety, egg packaging and labelling. When deciding to set up a free range egg farm, take the time to plan it properly. With the right zoning of your land, keeping chickens may be an as-of-right use. Find out the zoning of the land and talk to your local Council planning department about their requirements. Planning authorities have guidelines which allow applicants and planners to meet requirements for establishing a low density mobile outdoor poultry farm with a capacity of no more than 5000 birds.

A development plan needs to contain the information that planners expect from a planning application. It outlines the way in which the facility will be sited, built and managed to meet the objectives and standards of the guidelines. Prepare your own planning application, rather than employ a consultant : Contact us freeranger@dcsi.net.au

Small is Best

 Demand for free range eggs is not just booming in Australia. Americans are also turning their backs on factory-farmed eggs. A report by Watt Poultry says the number of small egg farms registering with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has surged according to the FDA’s consumer safety officer,Gerardo Ramirez. On January 26 he told the United Egg Producers food safety committee that small egg farms now outnumber large operations (farms with 50,000 or more hens) by more than three to one. He said that small producers accounted for 634 of the 749 new farm registrations in 2025, representing 85% of growth in the sector.