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Theresa Freund, manager of Freund’s Farm Market and Bakery in East Canaan, said the price for 15 dozen large eggs has risen by about $10 dollars every week, with no sign of slowing down.
“Basically, what they are doing is destroying our local industry so that the international industry will survive.”
— Theresa Freund, manager of Freund’s Farm Market and Bakery
NORTH CANAAN — Theresa Freund gingerly removed a box containing 15 dozen large eggs from refrigeration. The fragile haul cost her $92 a week earlier.
“That’s 51 cents each … and that was a low number,” she explained during a Feb. 5 visit to Freund’s Farm Market and Bakery, which she oversees with her daughter, Rachel.
At last check, she said, the price for 15 dozen eggs had skyrocketed to $110, “and I bet it will be $120 next week,” predicted Freund, who uses them in a variety of baked goods made in her recently expanded commercial kitchen, as well as prepared food items like quiche.
After climbing in 2022 due to an outbreak of avian flu and dropping in 2023, the price of eggs has been steadily creeping up again and is expected to increase more than 20% this year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Price Outlook released Jan. 24.
The federal agency reported that the wholesale cost for a dozen large Grade A eggs, which were $4.17 a dozen in November, has soared to a record $6.57. The agency predicted egg prices will climb by about 20% within the year, compared with a predicted 2.2% increase for overall food prices.
At the beginning of 2023, a dozen eggs cost an average of $4.82, the highest in the past decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The bird flu is to blame
This year’s egg shortage is linked to an outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, or bird flu, a virus found in wild bird species that is highly contagious among domestic poultry and has a mortality rate of nearly 100%.
To slow the spread of the virus the government has ordered millions of chickens slaughtered. Fewer egg-laying chickens means that consumers, and businesses, are shelling out more per dozen as demand exceeds supply.
At Collin’s Diner in North Canaan, a classic dining car style-diner built in 1940, the price of any menu item featuring eggs rose last week.
“I just raised the price on all my egg dishes by $1,” said Doonia Hamzy, whose family has owned the circa 1940’s diner for the past 55 years. “This is the first time I’ve raised my prices in six years.”
Hamzy said she shops locally every day for fresh eggs and the least expensive she has found is $13 for two dozen. The price hike, she said, is not intended to be permanent, and was a difficult, but necessary, decision to make.
“When the egg prices go down, so will my prices. That’s how we were raised.”
Nearby, four customers seated at the counter around lunchtime were nonplussed about paying a dollar more for an egg selection.
“It doesn’t bother me,” said Gary Ross, a piano technician from Falls Village, whose favorite dish is scrambled eggs with sauteed peppers and onions. “I come here just about every day,” he said, taking a sip from a hot cup o’ Joe.
The next stool over, Canaan resident Hope Dunham said she got sticker shock over the weekend after shelling out $7.50 for a dozen eggs at Dollar General in nearby Sheffield.
“It’s still cheaper for me to come here,” said Dunham. “Plus, I don’t have to cook … or clean up afterwards.”
Hamzy said she appreciates her customer’s support during these challenging times. “We live in an extremely supportive community. We are very blessed.”
The Freund flock in its protected enclosure.Debra A. Aleksinas
Surveillance testing for bird flu
The Connecticut Department of Agriculture conducts surveillance testing on domestic birds throughout the state. Testing for bird flu is available at low or no cost through a partnership with the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Connecticut.
The multi-generational Freund family farm in Canaan also keeps a flock of about 36 egg-laying chickens which were tested for the H5N1 bird flu virus by the state three weeks ago, the results of which came back negative.
Eggs from the family’s farm operation are sold by the dozen at its Farm Market but are not permitted to be used in the farm’s commercial kitchen, said Freund.
“The state Department of Agriculture tested them three weeks ago,” she said of her daughter, Rachel’s, egg-laying flock. “They banded and swabbed a sampling of about 20 birds.”
The virus is being spread as wild birds comingle with free-range birds in commercial and backyard poultry operations.
The Freund flock tested negative, as it has in the past, which its owners attribute to the chickens’ caged henhouse and enclosure, which protects them from contact with disease-carrying wild birds.
Why not vaccinate chickens?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture last week confirmed 81 detections of avian flu in wild birds collected across 24 states between Dec. 29 and Jan. 17.
Freund said health officials “have to do more” to protect domestic flocks from the deadly virus, including vaccination, which is currently not part of the federal government’s strategy because of trade concerns.
“Basically what they are doing is destroying our local industry so that the international industry will survive,” said Freund. “Things have to change. Millions of birds are being destroyed.”
On Jan. 15, Avian flu was confirmed in a backyard flock in New London County consisting of chickens, ducks and peacocks.
The flock of family pets, which had close contact with wild waterfowl in a nearby pond, was confirmed to be infected with bird flu, according to a Jan. 17 statement by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture.
“At this time there is no effective treatment or approved vaccine for the virus in poultry. The infected flock has been depopulated to prevent spread of the disease,” according to the state agricultural agency.
Signs of infection include a sudden increase in bird deaths, sneezing, coughing, nasal discharge, watery or green diarrhea, lack of energy, poor appetite, drop in egg production, swelling around the eyes, neck and head, and purple discoloration of wattles, combs and legs.
The current risk of infection from avian influenza to residents of Connecticut remains low, according to Connecticut Department of Public Health Commissioner Manisha Juthani.
“The CDC is currently monitoring numerous H5N1 cases throughout the country and tracking the spread of the virus in states where it has been identified in people or animals,” Juthani said.
Flock owners are encouraged to report anything unusual, especially sick or dead birds, to CT DoAg at (860) 713-2505 or ctstate.vet@ctgov, or USDA at (866) 536-7593.
From left, Salisbury Affordable Housing Commission Chair Jennifer Kronholm Clark, Litchfield County Center for Housing Opporunity Director Jocelyn Ayer, State Rep. Maria Horn (D-64), Connecticut Department of Housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno, Cornwall First Selectman Gordon Ridgway, Cornwall Housing Corporation member Beth Frost, Capital for Change Director of Commercial Lending & Impact Carla Weil.
CORNWALL — Legislators, officials and affordable housing advocates gathered despite the cold on the morning of Feb. 7 to celebrate the launch of a new program that will see the installation of ten new affordable homes across five towns in the Northwest Corner.
The project, coordinated by the Litchfield County Center for Housing Opportunity and called the Litchfield County Homeownership Program, will construct modular single-family homes at each site which will be affordable for families whose income is below the area median. The Feb. 7 groundbreaking ceremony was hosted at 349 Town St. in Cornwall, where trees have already been cleared in preparation for the new homes. According to LCCHO’s website, Cornwall’s median home price in 2024 was $1,1150,000. The other towns involved in the project — Washington, Salisbury, Norfolk and North Canaan — have similarly high housing prices.
LCCHO Director Jocelyn Ayer spoke to the precedent set by uniting disparate affordable housing developments across town lines: “I think this a great example of how to bring smaller scattered site projects in our region together as a broader project.”
Attendants warmed themselves with provided hot chocolate and cookies as Jocelyn Ayer, director of LCCHO, called the group to assemble. Shoes crunched on the frozen ground as the tree tops surrounding the cleared plot of land tossed in the strong gusts. Cornwall Selectman Rocco Botto assessed the conditions poetically: “The north wind doth blow,” he said, earning some chuckles from the crowd.
During her opening remarks, Ayer chose to look on the bright side before passing the mic on to the distinguished list of speakers: “At least we got some sunshine!”
The roster included representatives from the various organizations involved with the development and financing of the project, including Carla Weil of Capital for Change, Jennifer Kronholm Clark who chairs The Salisbury Affordable Housing Commission, and Beth Frost of the Cornwall Housing Corporation.
State Rep. Maria Horn, D-64, spoke first, appealing to the brutal weather as yet another reason to bring affordable homes to the region. “What better than a cold, windy day to remind you of the importance of having a warm home,” she said.
Cornwall First Selectman Gordon Ridgway took the stage next, emphasizing that Cornwall is “refreshed” by newcomers to town, and expressed the need to ensure those people can be welcomed by affordable living conditions. “The needs for housing here are just as much as anywhere else in the state,” he said.
Connecticut Department of Housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno offered the final speech, echoing Ridgway’s sentiment that affordable housing development is a statewide priority: “We have a goal to keep everybody housed,” she said. She was happy to be at the event despite the weather, she said — “I always love coming to this part of the state!”
Each speaker then hefted a shovel and stuck it into the frozen ground to symbolize the real digging soon to come before attendants began to retreat to the warmth of their cars. “Thanks for freezing with us!” called out Ayer as the crowd dispersed.
NORFOLK — The detention of a man who works in Norfolk by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during the last week of January has raised community concern about federal immigration enforcement in the Northwest Corner.
A pair of upcoming forums on the state of immigration will be held at Trinity Lime Rock Church, 484 Lime Rock Road, Lakeville. Both talks are presented by Vicinos Seguros 2 (Safe Neighbors 2).
On Feb. 16 at 4 p.m., a local woman, whose husband was arrested by ICE but who avoided deportation after nine months in a detention center, will talk about her family’s experience and answer questions. She will be joined by Gabriela Vega-Matthews of Casa Comunitaria de Recursos (Community House of Resources) in Poughkeepsie.
On March 6 at 6 p.m., Connecticut Attorney General William Tong will answer questions about how to protect neighbors targeted by ICE and how Connecticut’s Trust Act works.
Erick Olsen, pastor of Church of Christ, UCC, of Norfolk expressed his concern about enforcement actions: “As a pastor serving a church in our community, I believe that every person has rights outlined in our Constitution, and these rights should be safeguarded. We clearly are a nation of laws that must be upheld. However, any violation of a person’s constitutional rights for any reason is of course unacceptable, and I will continue to seek ways to protect such rights for all. I encourage anyone who wishes to join me in these efforts to contact me.”
On Jan. 15, 2025, Janelle Medeiros, special counsel for civil rights for the State of Connecticut, office of the Attorney General, issued a memorandum explaining the Trust Act, enacted in 2013. The Trust Act— Connecticut General Statute 54-192h — “maintains Connecticut’s sovereignty by preventing deputization of local and state law enforcement for immigration enforcement.” However, the Connecticut Trust Act does not protect felons, does not prohibit communication between local law enforcement and immigration enforcement about individuals in custody, and does not restrict federal immigration authorities from enforcing federal immigration laws within Connecticut.
Medeiros wrote: “Many of Connecticut’s immigrant families are understandably concerned about how anticipated changes in federal immigration policy might affect them. It is the policy of the State of Connecticut to value, honor, and respect our immigrants, and refugees: they are our neighbors, family members, and friends. They are coworkers, bosses, parents, caretakers, and business owners. The entire State of Connecticut benefits when our immigrant community feels safe.”
The 29th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry is the subject of www.project29.com, a research project undertaken by Peter Vermilyea and his students at Housatonic Valley Regional High School.
FALLS VILLAGE — Historian and teacher Peter Vermilyea told a standing room only audience at the David M. Hunt Library about the Black soldiers from the Northwest Corner and Connecticut who fought in the Civil War Saturday, Feb. 8.
He started by noting that in the American Revolution, Black soldiers were not uncommon.
“Almost every Connecticut unit had at least one Black solider.”
But the Federal Military Act of 1797 prohibited Black men from serving in the U.S. Army — although not in the Navy.
Fast forward to Jan. 1, 1863, and President Abraham Lincoln’s Presidential Proclamation 95 — ie. executive order — better known as the Emancipation Proclamation.
Vermilyea noted that the proclamation did not end slavery per se.
It did free “certain persons.”
Lincoln took this step in his role as commander in chief during a rebellion.
Vermilyea said there were Black soliders in state militias prior to the proclamation, but now Black men could serve in the Union army.
Within a month of the proclamation, the 54th Massachusetts Regiment was formed. This is the unit depicted in the 1989 film “Glory.”
“The 54th attracted volunteers from all over the country,” Vermilyea said, including 154 men from Adams County, Pennsylvania. Over half the troops were from somewhere other than Massachusetts, “but it was Massachusetts taking the lead.”
Vermilyea touched on Milo Freeland of Sheffield and later East Canaan. Freeland is buried in Hillside Cemetery in East Canaan, and the original gravestone is at the Falls Village-Canaan Historical Society. A replica stands in the cemetery.
The gravestone states Freeland was the first Black man “enlisted from the North” in the Civil War.
Vermilyea said very little is known about Freeland, and it is impossible to make that claim definitively.
“However, he was certainly one of the first.”
Moving on to the 29th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, Vermilyea said he found out about it when a colleague gave him a “treasure chest” filled mostly with junk.
But at the bottom were half a dozen pension records of Black soldiers from Litchfield County.
Vermilyea explained that pension records are a gold mine for historians as they contain personal information that is unavailable elsewhere.
With these records in hand, Vermilyea and his students at Housatonic Valley Regional High School began the research project that eventually turned into a massive effort and is documented at www.project29.org.
Vermilyea said some 1600 men volunteered for the 29th and the 30th Volunteer Infantry. The 30th never quite got off the ground and was later incorporated into a federal unit of Black troops.
Initially the 29th was on garrison duty in Beaufort, South Carolina, but in the summer of 1864 they were deployed to fight in heavy action around Richmond, Virginia.
The 29th played significant roles in battles at Chaffin’s Farm and Kell House.
They were also the first Union infantry unit to enter Richmond, the capital city of the Confederacy, on April 2, 1865, where they met Lincoln.
It would have been nice and tidy if this highly symbolic event was the end of the story, but it isn’t.
After the war, the South needed occupation troops, and there was some tension along the border with Mexico.
Vermilyea said during occupation duty in Texas and Louisiana the 29th had dozens of members fall not to bullets from hostile Southerners but to disease.
It wasn’t until October 1865 that the 29th returned to Connecticut. Vermilyea related two stories of individuals who served with the 29th.
Joseph Parks, a Chilean, was a sailor on a commercial ship that arrived in New York City. He was recruited for the 29th, probably because the pay was substantially better than that of a sailor.
He was shot in the jaw at Kell House. Vermilyea said the wound and the subsequent treatment was so unusual it was recorded for the benefit of Army doctors.
“This is why we know something about him.”
Unfortunately, the doctors couldn’t save him, and he died on Nov. 6, 1864, of what was listed as “exhaustion.”
Almon Wheeler of Sharon has a lurid story. He was also wounded at Kell House, but recovered and rejoined the regiment for occupation duty.
He then returned to Connecticut, in Salisbury, where he married and started a family.
Around 1889 the Wheelers moved to Chicago, and Wheeler became embroiled in a messy case of divorce, bigamy and a murder/suicide attempt in 1891.
Vermilyea said the students were able to piece the story together, again from the pension records and from contemporary newspaper accounts.
He also said it seems reasonable to believe that Wheeler’s erratic behavior might have been due to what is now known as post-traumatic stress disorder.
Vermilyea also said that when students begin researching a particular name, they never know what they’re going to find.
“A student will say ‘my guy died of diarrhea after three months!’”