A bit more on the pro-small farmer side of the egg debate - Joe Laur concludes that the cost of cage-free/free-range/organic eggs really isn't so high: "It's cheaper than salmonella."
In Ann Arbor, we're lucky enough to have a "chicken ordinance" that says something along the lines of "if you don't keep a rooster and your neighbors aren't against it, you can keep chickens." As much as I'd like to try it, Katia (our soon-to-be-11-year-old) has nixed the idea, and I can't imagine how we're going to a) keep them warm through the winter and b) find them a babysitter if we go away on vacation.
But reading the egg options at a conventional grocery store is just asking for a headache. Conventional? Organic? Free Range? Cage-free? Omega-3 added? The list goes on seemingly forever, and the difference in price between "regular" and the others can be as much as $3 or even more. There is a vast amount of information about these labels (and a lot of others) available online, but a good summary can be found at the Humane Society website.
Besides coming from happier chickens-producers, pastured eggs have been shown to have greater health benefits for us, the consumers. The debate about the study results continues, but you can read the pro-pastured side on Mother Earth News.
To top it all off - pastured eggs taste better. A lot better.
Of course, there is a huge difference in price at the grocery store between "factory" eggs and those from free-range, organic-fed, etc. chickens. But much to my delight, I have discovered that a dozen pastured eggs from several farmers in our area (visit Two Creeks Organics to learn about their eggs and chicken CSA) costs a lot less than a dozen organic, free-range eggs from the grocery store, even a little less than those at Trader Joe's. And occasionally you can find CSAs that include eggs in their weekly box. Part of the fun of buying locally is that our kids have actually visited the Two Creeks Organics chickens and know exactly who is producing our omelets and frittatas!
As with all ingredients, you'll have to decide whether you want to pay more for pastured eggs, but my feeling is that I'd rather buy high-quality ingredients that are better for our health, better for the environment, and allow me to support our local food system.
And here's a fun visual aid for this discussion (be sure to watch to the end)!
