Our Little Egg Business

[Trekson]

Here in KY, a few of us have gotten together and formed a co-op. We call our group KEPPA which stands for Kentucky Egg and Poultry Producers Association. We have a wholesaler who buys our eggs and sells them in the big city. We get $2.40 a dozen and between us (about 12) we sell over a 100 dozen a week. Maybe it's something some of you should try in your state. Just sayin'.

 

[HighNDryFarm]

In the state of CA it looks like you just have to register as an egg handler ($15) and if you have less then 500 hens and are selling directly to the consumer from your farm you don't need to pay the Mill fee to the Secretary of State. From what I can tell, that's all you need to do. Am I missing something?

Anyone registered in CA? Heads up on anything? I'm the President of our downtown business association and I certified us as a Farmers Market for a street faire we use to do every summer (until our Chamber of Commerce took it from us, ran it in the ground....

) and the Ag people were very nice to work with and helpful in getting our bylaws correct.

Also, has anyone done the Egg Brand Registration?

Here's a link to the site, application and more info:
http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/mpes/esqm.html

Egg Handlers Registration Form

FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL CODE - DEFINITIONS
Section 27503.5. “California egg” means an egg produced in this state.
Section 27510. “Egg handler” means a person engaged in the business of producing, candling,
grading, packing, or otherwise preparing shell eggs for market or who engages in the operation of
selling or marketing eggs that he or she has produced, purchased, or acquired from a producer, or
which he or she is marketing on behalf of a producer, whether as owner, agent, employee, or
otherwise. This section shall not apply to any purchaser who is a retailer and who does not handle
eggs in any other capacity, except as a retailer.

Section 27510.1. “Producer” means a person engaged in the business of producing eggs from
domesticated fowl for human consumption, who is not in the business of candling, grading, packing,
sorting, or otherwise preparing eggs for market, marketing, or processing eggs into egg products.
Section 27519.5. “Shipped egg” means an egg that is produced outside the State of California and
shipped into the state for purposes of resale or use by a direct user.

FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL CODE – REGISTRATION AND FEES
Section 27541. Any person engaged in business in this state as an egg producer or egg handler, or
any out-of-state egg handler or egg producer selling eggs into California, shall register with the
secretary. A new registration shall be submitted if any current information changes.

Section 27542. The certificate of registration shall not be transferable to any person, or be applicable
to any location other than the location for which originally issued, and shall be conspicuously
displayed at such location.

Section 27551. The following persons shall pay to the Secretary a maximum fee of five cents ($0.05)
for each 30 dozens of eggs sold as provided below (currently $0.045):
(a) California egg handlers shall pay the fee on all eggs sales from their own production, on
eggs purchased or acquired from California egg producers, and on eggs processed into
egg products. California egg handlers shall not pay a fee on eggs purchased from out-ofstate
egg handlers or egg producers.
(b) California egg producers shall pay the fee on all eggs sales to anyone not registered
under this chapter as an egg handler, to out-of-state purchasers, and to egg breaking
plants.
(c) Out-of-state egg handlers and producers shall report and pay the fee on eggs sales into
California sold to a retailer, producer, handler, or breaking plant.
(d) Shipments of eggs, which are accompanied by a United States Department of Agriculture
certificate of grade and sold to the federal government or its agencies are exempt from
these fees.
(e) Eggs sold to household consumers on the premises where produced from a flock size of
500 hens or less are exempt from these fees
(f) The assessment provided for in this section shall only be paid once on any particular egg.

If you need further information, please contact the Department of Food and Agriculture, Egg Safety
and Quality Management Program at (916) 445-4243, or write to 1220 N Street, Sacramento, CA
95814. Also, you can e-mail Anthony S. Herrera at [email protected], or visit our
Internet website at: www.cdfa.ca.gov.

 

[ChristineR]

For help with small scale farming questions, check with your local state college extension. Here in WA, WSU has quite a bit of info to help small farms. I bet a lot of states have the same thing.

http://smallfarms.wsu.edu/

 

[Floridachicken1958]

ChickKat...I'm not sure on how to work that site,But I'm trying to figure it out.Would like some help from you if you wouldn't mind helping out till I get it figured out.Right now my chickens have slowed way down on producing cause of the heat.
Thank You!!!

 

[ChicKat]

Quote:
Hi FloridaChicken,

tell me what I can do to help! :O)

 

[Floridachicken1958]

Well to start off with, Do you input your address or something to get people to come to you? take a look at mine if you will. Zip is 32922 And let me know what all I need to do if you don't mind.It will be Cocoa Farms. Thank You!!! Today it was 98 degrees.I don't blame them for not producing..

 

[Blueicebird]

I sell mine a $1.00 a doz to my friends. If I ever do roadside stand I will do $2.00. I only have 6 girls and 1 duck hen, Duck eggs will probably be by request, how much do duck eggs usually go?

 

[Floridachicken1958]

Blueicebird: If I were you I would google it for your home town.Cause duck eggs are huge compared to chicken eggs.

Are you in florida too?

 

[Blueicebird]

Quote:
Hehe, no. Far from it. Central New York

 

[cmom]

We sell our eggs for $2.50 a dozen. We also sell our produce. We let our customers come and pick their own vegies or we will pick for them. We are on the honor system. We do have a hanging scale for customers to weigh their vegies as we sell most things by the lb. (didn't get the scale in the pic but it's there)

Our gardens.