Candling Certificates Provide Opportunity to Sell Eggs at Farmers Markets

Originally published in the April 16, 2014, issue

 

By Dallas Duncan

 

More than 50 Augusta-area producers are now certified egg candlers, thanks to a class on March 27.



Katherine Crossan of Martinez, Ga., holds a commercial chicken egg to a
candling light to check for imperfections such as cracks or blood spots during
a candling class in Augusta, Ga., on March 27. Photo by Dallas Duncan

“This egg candling certificate will allow you, as a backyard producer, the ability to sell your eggs off your farm at other locations such as local farmers markets or local flea markets,” said Greg Manous, the Department’s Food Safety Division sanitarian who taught the course. “This certificate will not allow you to wholesale your eggs to the convenience store down the street or the restaurant down the street.”

 

To do that, he said, producers must go a step further and become licensed egg producers, with their farm and facilities coming under inspection by the Department.

 

During the Thursday afternoon class, participants learned about egg makeup, egg grades and how to properly clean and care for the food product. In order to obtain their certificate, they had to take a written exam, candle several dozen eggs and provide secure and verifiable documentation about their farm operation.

 

The process of candling involves holding eggs up to a special light and examine the egg for imperfections: meat spots, rot, blood spots and cracks, Manous said. Though the eggs participants practice with are commercial grade, he said producers are welcome to bring in a few of their own eggs from home to candle as well – though those will not count toward the certificate.

 

Eggs must be candled within 36 hours, and must be labeled with an expiration date of no more than 45 days from the candling date, he said. The Georgia Egg Law requires producers to refrigerate eggs at 41 degrees or lower, including if the eggs are sold out of a cooler at the farmers market.

 

Egg candling classes are held throughout the state several times per year, Manous said. Most of the attendees are small egg producers with just a handful of chickens – like Katherine Crossan of Martinez, Ga.

 

“I now have eight backyard chickens and I have more eggs than my husband and I need,” she said. “I’m currently giving them away, but I thought it might be nice to have candling class knowledge and if I ever wanted to sell them at a farmers market, I could.”

 

For Angie and Todd Neville of Hephzibah, Ga., the class provided an opportunity to expand their market if need be. Right now, their operation focuses on breeding poultry rather than egg production.

 

“About a year ago, our son Tyler decided he wanted some chickens. It started out with a few chickens and it has progressed from there,” Todd Neville said. “Anything dealing with chickens interests us right now, and we saw this class and thought we should go ahead and get our license just in case we have to get into some eggs.”

 

David Young, president of Savannah River Grange, said spreading the word about services such as the egg candling classes will garner more interest in small farms in the Augusta area.

 

“Augusta’s not considered to be a big agricultural hub, so I just wanted to prove them wrong and say, ‘Hey, we do have a good interest,’” Young said. “Backyard farmers is a movement, it’s not just a fad. People are wanting to grow their own chickens, have their own eggs, grow their own backyard gardens and this is just a good way to help people.”