ECONOMICS

On Wednesday, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders unveiled a series of bills, collectively referred to as the “Communist China Defense Legislative Package,” designed to curb China’s ability to conduct business within the state. 

The six proposed bills – some introduced and others still pending – target what the governor describes as “Communist China influence” in Arkansas.

Among the measures included are provisions to strengthen existing laws by reducing the (more…)

Authored by Austin Alonzo via The Epoch Times,

The U.S. response to a highly pathogenic avian influenza is driving egg prices to record highs. Still, chicken meat prices remain relatively stable because of a significant difference in how the birds are raised and marketed.

Since 2022, the U.S. poultry industry has been heavily affected by its response to an ongoing outbreak of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). In the 30 days up to Feb. 26, more than 19 million birds had been affected by HPAI outbreaks, according to the Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

The United States’ top egg-producing states—Iowa, Ohio, and Indiana—have lost more than 62 million birds because of culling since the beginning of the outbreak.

The latest Department of Agriculture Egg Markets Overview report, published on Feb. 21, placed the national average wholesale price of eggs at $8.07 per dozen. In some regions of the country, the average was nearly $10 per dozen.

The price of eggs has driven the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to step up its action in response to the crisis. On Feb. 26, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that the agency would spend as much as $1 billion to boost biosecurity on farms and compensate farmers who lost birds to HPAI. The USDA is also weighing the possibility of using vaccines to control the spread of the disease and taking steps to override state animal welfare laws.

Meanwhile, the average retail price of boneless, skinless, conventionally raised, frozen chicken breast meat, according to the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service’s weekly report for Feb. 15 through Feb. 21, was $2.99 per pound. Fresh, boneless, skinless breast meat was slightly more expensive, at $3.09 per pound. Boneless, skinless breast meat is the most popular cut in the U.S. market.

According to Consumer Price Index data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the price of eggs rose by 53 percent between January 2024 and January 2025. During the same period, the average price of “fresh and frozen chicken parts” rose by just 0.8 percent.

The significant difference in price changes is due to multiple factors, including industry size, disease susceptibility, and market economics.

Agricultural economists who spoke with The Epoch Times earlier in February said the main reason egg prices are so high currently is the sheer number of birds being killed, because the virus was discovered in a flock. Additionally, egg farmers are hard-pressed to replace the lost birds because an egg-laying hen—known as a layer—takes several months to grow from a hatchling to a productive bird.

Layers of all ages are dying or being depopulated, leading to a long wait for farms to get back online.

Layers Versus Broilers

David Anderson, professor and extension specialist focused on livestock and food product marketing at Texas A&M University, told The Epoch Times that a number of farms raising birds to be slaughtered for meat—known as broiler birds—did suffer from HPAI outbreaks. Nevertheless, because of the way broilers are raised and processed, a much smaller number of birds were lost in those outbreaks.

A woman shops for eggs in Burlington, N.J., on Feb. 16, 2025. Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times

Furthermore, Anderson said, the sheer scale of U.S. broiler production protects it from being decimated by HPAI (more…)

Authored by Lance Roberts via RealInvestmentAdvice.com,

The risk of a recession in the U.S. is not zero. This is particularly true as the current Administration tackles Government bloat and implements tariffs. However, before we discuss why the risk of a recession could increase, it is crucial to remember the 2022 experience. At that time, most economists were convinced a “recession was imminent.” As discussed in early 2023, it was the most anticipated recession ever.

The economy printed very weak quarterly reports in early 2022. Therefore, it was just a function of time before the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) announced it.

Yet, (more…)