Has time arrived for more locally sourced table eggs?

We don't have a "The Egg and I" restaurant in our neighborhood, but if we did, we might know some nervous chefs.

We might, anyway, thanks to an egg shortage resulting from the avian flu.

Millions of chickens, especially laying hens, died or had to be killed because of the disease, which began showing up in commercial Midwest turkey and chicken farms.

While the spread of the disease has slowed, last week, a chicken farm in Iowa with a million egg-layers tested positive for the virus.

The USDA expected table egg production to drop 5.3 percent this year, to 6.9 billion dozen. By late May, the price of a dozen Midwest large eggs increased 120 percent from their mid-April, pre-bird flu prices of $2.62.

While "egg factories" are getting the attention because of the huge numbers involved, even smaller egg suppliers, and their customers, are feeling the pressure.

Matt Sehnert of Sehnert's Bakery said he would be keeping an eye on egg prices, but he was more concerned about the wheat crop. He said his bakery obtains hard red winter wheat flour from Wauneta Roller Mills, and fluctuations in the wheat market were of more concern than the price of eggs.

Bird flu has dealt a blow to large egg factories, as has California's new requirements that laying hens have more room to move around.

Local, farm-raised eggs are a popular item on radio call-in shows and at farmers' markets, but most of us head to the grocery story when it comes time to replenish our supply.

Regulations get in the way of most town-dwellers keeping a flock of laying hens, and city officials have warned that allowing "urban" flocks can attract predators.

But like fruits, vegetables and other foods, perhaps the time for more locally-sourced eggs has arrived.