Cage-Free Large White Up 17.7% to 53 Cents, Premium at 45%

National cage-free large white loose rose to 53.0 cents a dozen, up 17.7% on the week from 45.0 cents (USDA). Conventional large white at 36.5 cents as of September 1 puts the cage-free premium at 16.4 cents, or 45%. Extra large white conventional loose moved the other direction, falling 11.5% to 39.9 cents from 45.1 cents, the steepest single-series price decline this issue.

• Cage-free large white loose, up 17.7% week over week from 45.0 cents: 53.0 cents/doz nationally. Cage-free premium over conventional (36.5 cents) is 16.4 cents, or 45% (USDA, September 1, 2026).
• Extra large white conventional loose, down 11.5% week over week from 45.1 cents: settled at 39.9 cents/doz nationally (USDA).
• Medium white conventional loose: rose to 33.1 cents/doz, up 11.9% on the week from 29.6 cents (USDA).
• Northwest conventional shell egg inventory: 46.4 thousand cases, 33% below the five-year median, the deepest regional shortfall in this issue. Week-over-week change was -1% (USDA).
• Northeast conventional shell egg inventory: 174 thousand cases, down 13.6% on the week, the largest single-week inventory draw in this issue. At 3% above the five-year median, stocks remain within a normal range despite the draw (USDA).
• US shell egg inventory: 1,482 thousand cases as of August 31, 0.1% below the trailing four-week average (USDA). Midwest at 573 thousand cases runs 16% above the five-year median. Southwest at 157 thousand cases runs 14% above.

Per USDA's August 28 Egg Markets Overview, the negotiated national large white loose price was unchanged at 39 cents per dozen with a steady undertone. New York formula large cartoned delivered to retailers was down 6 cents to 86 cents per dozen. Midwest large white delivered to warehouses was unchanged at 69 cents per dozen. The California benchmark for large shell eggs was unchanged at 112 cents per dozen. California-compliant wholesale loose fell 15 cents to 57 cents per dozen.

APHIS confirmed one egg-layer detection in the past 60 days: a 1.2 million-bird layer flock in Utah on July 6. No further egg-sector detections have been reported.

Retail feature intensity: 456 stores featured national large white 12-count cartons at $1.18 per dozen the week of August 24, per USDA. Per the August 28 USDA Egg Markets Overview, feature activity was lower in the subsequent week.

Multiple California price series in this issue's dataset have not updated in more than two weeks.