Education Week - March 8, 2023 - 10

A Lesson in Eggonomics: The Story of Soaring
Prices and Industrious High Schoolers
California students
undercut store
egg prices and
learn big lessons
By Evie Blad
Surging egg prices have turned
California high school students'
afterschool agriculture project
into a multi-disciplinary lesson in
biology, economics, and business
management.
Students at Madera South High
School in Madera, Calif., started
tending to a flock of chickens a little
more than a year ago, selling the eggs
hens laid to community members as
a way to learn about animal care and
the food industry.
But, as U.S. egg prices have
mounted in recent months-in part
because of an avian flu outbreak-
the students have been able to undercut
the prices of nearby supermarkets,
where a dozen eggs sell for
as much as $8.
Even after raising prices from $3 to
$5 a dozen, the students have a waiting
list for egg pick-up every week
from eager locals who sign up in advance.
Now,
they are making plans to
expand their flock, weighing big
questions about unpredictable fluctuations
in the supply chain, and
learning interdisciplinary lessons
they can transfer to other areas of
school and life.
" In my 23 years of teaching, this is a
unique experience, " said agriculture
teacher Kristin Sheehan, who leads
the egg program. " We sell out within
minutes. We can't keep up with the
demand. "
Building purpose through work
The project demonstrates how
career and technical education programs
can give students hands-on
insights into topics like supply and
demand and how global disruptions
have downstream effects that can
otherwise seem abstract.
State officials and the Biden administration
have recently promoted
the growth and evolution of CTE
programs to meet the demands of a
changing economy and workforce.
Such programs give students both
technical skills that apply to specific
careers, like automotive repair, in addition
to " employability skills, " like
problem-solving and working on
teams that can transfer to other academic
subjects.
Federal and state evaluations
have found that CTE students,
including those in agriculture programs,
are more likely to graduate
from high school and more likely to
Clockwise from left: Madera
South High School student
Judith Lama-Mata gathers eggs
as part of the school's agriculture
program in Madera, Calif.
Eggs are displayed on store
shelves at a grocery store. Egg
prices surged in late 2022, giving
agriculture students hands-on
lessons in supply chain issues.
Madera South High student
Alayja Hall loads fresh chicken
eggs into a refrigerator,
preparing them to be sold to
community members.
enroll in postsecondary education
than their peers who do not participate
in such programs.
Supporters of agriculture education
say it is particularly engaging for
students. Rapid changes in climate,
consumer habits, and scientific understanding
give the work fresh relevance.
And working with animals
and food crops can quickly connect
students to a sense of purpose in their
work, Sheehan said.
At the 2,800-student Madera
South High, for example, students
have a 20-acre working farm just
outside their classroom doors northwest
of Fresno. Agriculture students
raise and tend to horses, cows,
sheep, and pigs; breed small animals
like guinea pigs; harvest flowers for
floriculture class; and grow mandarin
oranges that are served in the
school's cafeteria.
The egg project, which now involves
eight students, started a little
more than a year ago with 30 leghorn
chickens. Over the summer, the students
added 15 Rhode Island chickens
to the flock.
Junior Susana Lara, who helps tend
to the chickens, said the work has
helped confirm her interest in working
in animal nutrition after graduation.
" It helps me understand everything
about how food affects the
10 | EDUCATION WEEK | March 8, 2023 | www.edweek.org
animals and how they are nurtured, "
she said.
A 'hens on' lesson in a scrambled
supply chain
Should students do more to keep
up with demand? It's a tough question,
Sheehan said.
U.S. egg prices increased about
60 percent in 2022, reaching record
highs in December. That was in part
because of disruptions caused by an
avian flu outbreak. But prices began
dropping again this month, CNBC
reports.
It takes about six months for new
hens to start laying eggs, Sheehan
said.
As prices surged in the winter,
students engaged in some longterm
planning as they considered
adding even more hens: Will demand
in six months be enough to
justify the additional birds? Can
the small crew that tends to the
hens before and after school keep
up with the increased workload involved
with feeding and cleaning
up after more animals?
The students voted " yes. " Even if
egg prices return to pre-surge levels,
they believe improved marketing and
options like drive-up service can help
sustain demand.
So they bought another 30 hens.
And now they wait to see if their
bet-and their business plan-will
pay off.
In the mean time, other classes are
learning from the animals, too.
Students in an agriculture enterprise
class will review the egg project
business plan and give their peers tips
on marketing, expenses, and anticipated
demand. Animal science students
learned to do blood draws and
tests on the hens.
The students currently sell about
five dozen eggs a week, and they
expect that number to increase
after the winter months, when
hens typically produce fewer eggs,
and again when their new birds
begin laying.
Madera South students said the
avian flu outbreak has provided a
chance to learn and shift strategies,
as they work to keep the hens
separate from geese in a nearby
pond to reduce the risk of possible
disease spread.
" I found it very interesting how
most people didn't really know about
[the egg project], but then as months
went by, more people wanted more, "
said junior Joanna Santos, who wants
to be a veterinarian. " The more they
start producing, the more we are able
to give to others. "
"
In my 23 years of
teaching, this is a
unique experience,
we sell out within
minutes. We can't
keep up with the
demand.
KRISTIN SHEEHAN
Agriculture teacher
Madera South High School
Photos courtesy of Kristin Sheehan
Ross D. Franklin/AP
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Education Week - March 8, 2023

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