Sunday Solopreneur
Read on my website – Read Time: 5 Minutes
The Truth About Egg Labels & Why It Matters for Your Farm
If you’ve ever wandered the egg aisle at the grocery store, you’ve probably seen cartons plastered with words like “Cage-Free,” “Free-Range,” and even “Pasture-Raised.”
At first glance, these labels seem to paint a picture of happy hens roaming green fields. The reality? Not so much.
As a farmer or homesteader selling eggs, it’s crucial to educate your customers about these misleading labels.
The commercial egg industry uses marketing language to justify higher prices, but in many cases, the living conditions of their hens remain far from what most consumers envision when they hear “pasture-raised.”
What Do These Labels Actually Mean?
Cage-Free: The birds are not kept in cages, but they are still housed inside large barns or aviaries with no required outdoor access.
While this is an improvement over battery cages, it does not mean they have a good quality of life or access to pasture.
Free-Range: Birds labeled as free-range must have some access to the outdoors, but the size, duration, and quality of that outdoor space are not well-defined. I
In many cases, this means a small pop-door leading to a dirt or concrete lot. It’s also a door they may never find due to the size and density of the flock. Think about 1,000,000 birds in a single building.
Pasture-Raised: According to the USDA, there is no official definition for pasture-raised, and in their eyes, it is synonymous with free-range.
True pasture-raised means birds spend most of their time outdoors, foraging on actual pasture with plenty of space per bird.
However, many commercial operations misuse this term, providing only minimal outdoor access while charging premium prices.
Selling Eggs? Educate Your Customers
If you’re raising hens on real pasture, rotating them, and allowing them to scratch, forage, and express natural behaviors, then you are producing a vastly different product than what’s found in stores (and you need to share that!).
That means it’s up to you to make sure your customers understand the difference.
Here’s how:
✅ Write a newsletter:
- Explain the difference between your eggs and store-bought eggs.
- Show photos of your pasture setup versus what commercial egg farms provide. (We can help with this at homegrownhosting.com)
✅ Create a section on your website:
- Spell out how your hens are actually raised so customers know they’re buying a premium product.
- Photos are gold here! (Again, got you covered at homegrownhosting.com)
✅ Label Clearly:
- If you sell at a farm store or market, include details on your packaging about why your eggs are different.
- Signage goes a long way (here’s ours – Designed and purchased from Canva)
Price for Profit—And Don’t Apologize
Many small farmers feel pressure to match supermarket prices. That’s a mistake.
Raising eggs on pasture takes more labor, more land, mobile infrastructure, and typically we’re using a better feed (NON-GMO or organic).
Large companies avoid these costs, and in some cases, their low prices are made possible by subpar wages and unethical labor practices.
That’s not you, and that’s not me.
So, how should you price your eggs?
✅ Factor in your costs:
- Feed, infrastructure, and most importantly, your labor. If you’re spending time on the farm, that’s time you could be earning a wage elsewhere.
- Pay yourself!
✅ Consider your hourly rate:
- If you were at a W-2 job, what would you be making per hour?
- Your farm should be able to support you at that rate.
✅ Expect pushback:
- Some customers will question your pricing. That’s fine. The right customers—the ones who value quality, ethical farming, and nutrition—will understand why your eggs are worth it
- Everyone is not your customer!
✅ You’re not just “selling to the rich”:
- The idea that only wealthy people buy farm-fresh, ethically raised food is a myth. Plenty of middle-class working families, just like yourself, want healthy products for their family.
- They’re already paying these prices at the supermarket for organic products (of which yours are probably beyond the minimal organic standard) with misleading labels that make them think they’re getting what you are actually producing.
- Don’t be afraid to charge your price.
The Bottom Line
If you’re not making a profit, you won’t be in business long enough to keep producing great eggs.
Educate your customers so they understand what they’re paying for, and make sure you price your products to sustain your farm.
The grocery store system may not be built in favor of small farms, but the best way to fight back is to be transparent, fair, and unapologetic about the true cost of raising eggs the right way.
Keep growing, keep educating, and keep charging what your farm needs to thrive.
with my appreciation,
Jason
Aka: The Part-Time Farmer
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