It's been nine days since Wisconsin reported any new cases of the bird flu -- but grocery shoppers are feeling the effects of the virus in their pocketbooks. Market analysts say both grocery stores and their wholesalers are stocking up on eggs, creating supply shortages. But experts say there's no need to worry about a possible shortage of turkeys this Thanksgiving -- although you can expect higher prices. The A-P said the price of a dozen large eggs jumped from 1.19-a-dozen in mid-April to 1.39 now. Commodity market analyst Rick Brown of Urner Barry said there's been a much larger price hike for eggs used in processed foods like mayonnaise and cake mix. Brown said those eggs are now 1.03-a-dozen, up from 63-cents just three weeks ago. Frozen hens are up about three-percent. Iowa's egg producers have been hit the hardest by the recent bird flu outbreak, but a Jefferson County egg-laying operation with almost 800-thousand hens was also hit. In all cases, entire flocks are eradicated so the H-5-N-2 virus does not spread. Neighboring Minnesota has been the hardest hit for turkeys -- which were expected to drop in price in the meat case this year. Instead, they're up slightly.
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