The Texas Legislature is in session and Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance is busy advocating for small-scale farmers and ranchers like us who produce food using sustainable/regenerative methods and consumers like you who care about traditional rights and freedoms.
So, today let's talk about eggs and House Bill 2945. Here is what we have learned...
First we all need to understand some basic labeling terminology such as "graded" and "ungraded." Before we started farming in Van Alstyne, we thought that "Graded" was better than "Ungraded" and that "Grade A" was the best. We were WRONG. This is not a report card!
Grading eggs simply means that the corporation raising the eggs pays someone to weigh and measure each egg, sorting them by size, obtaining a license from the Texas Department of Agriculture, and paying fees. These added fees, of course, are passed on to the consumer but what grading does NOT do is provide any health or food safety benefits. - Really? (really)
In fact, we would argue that our chickens (and those who are raised like ours) - free range and with a happy life entirely on pasture offer the best of the best - the gold standard - the most flavorful and most nutritious eggs available in Texas.
But unless eggs are “graded,” farmers like us are not allowed to sell our eggs to restaurants or grocers. We have heard that some farmers are having to THROW AWAY their eggs that don’t get sold at farmers markets or other venues where the farmers are face to face with consumers.
Texas chefs in restaurants and grocers at the supermarket want to offer their customers access to the most flavorful and nutritious eggs possible. Texas families want easy access to these eggs. Texas farmers want to be able to sell them to you and we all want small family farms to stay in business. These are the reasons the Texas Legislature must pass House Bill 2945.
Who created this misleading term of "Grade A eggs?" Well, who benefits from it? Big Ag. Keep in mind, the business model of Big Ag has no incentive to care about family farms or local economies. Nor does it have to prioritize nutrition or affordability. And Big Ag does not concern itself with the 13% of Texas households currently experiencing food insecurity.
But small farmers do - and you do. If you are a Texas resident, please tell your legislator you want more access locally raised eggs and submit comments to the House Agriculture Committee in support of House Bill 2945 by Cain Relating to egg grading.
