Dear Fellow Agtivist, Call Your Rep for More Local Egg Options!

Egg prices are skyrocketing. Locally raised eggs are in high demand. But did you know that the current regulations are keeping all of us from having more access to locally raised eggs?

The problem:

Unless eggs are “graded,” our farmers are not allowed to sell their eggs to restaurants or grocers.

Grading eggs involves weighing and measuring each egg, sorting them by size, obtaining a license from the Texas Department of Agriculture, and paying fees. What grading does NOT do is provide any health or food safety benefits.

Grading is just a marketing program that Big Agribusiness uses as a tool to keep small farmers from being able to sell their eggs to the co-ops, mom & pop grocers, and local sourcing restaurants where consumers want these eggs!

What can you do about it?

SB 1864 would allow small farmers to sell ungraded eggs to restaurants and grocers (who could then sell them to you). This bill passed the Texas Senate unanimously, but we still have to get it through the House for it to become law!

The House Agriculture Committee is holding a hearing on Tuesday, May 13, and we need your help!

1. Call your State Representative and urge them to co-author SB 1864.

You can look up who represents you HERE.

Sample script: “My name is ___, and I live in [town]. I am calling to ask my Representative to co-author SB 1864, to make it easier for small farmers to sell eggs to local restaurants and retailers. Please help this bill make it through the legislature this session.”

Add a sentence or two about why this matters to you. What matters most is making the call – it can be super short.

(We know it can be confusing, but the task is to call your State Representative about this “Senate Bill 1864” – it’s already passed the Senate, so there’s no point calling your Senator)

2. Submit comments online to the committee.

You can submit written comments to the committee online anytime between now and when the bill is heard on Tuesday evening. Go to House Public Comment, fill out your information, click the arrow for Bills and Topics, and then scroll down to Agriculture on May 13, and select SB 1864 by Johnson. Then write just a short statement – even just a couple of sentences – asking the legislators to support SB 1864 and saying why this matters to you.

3. Help spread the word!

Forward this alert to friends and farm networks. Share on social media, and tag your Representative to let them know you support letting small farmers sell their eggs to Texans at our local restaurants and small grocers!

Thank you for taking action to help small farmers access new markets and be better able to feed our communities!

In solidarity,

Judith McGeary
Founder and Executive Director
Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance

Click here to learn more.