A Turner egg farm has shut down its egg production facilities due to shifting consumer preferences and operational costs.
In a statement, Hillandale Farms said, "starting December 13, 2024, our Turner, Maine location will operate solely as a supply hub for our other facilities in New England."
Turner Town Manager Kurt Schaub said Hillandale told the town that the growing demand for cage-free eggs and operating costs have challenged the egg producer for some time.
"Principal reasons for that ...number one, a shift over to cage free production which these structures are not conducive to. The second is the cost of getting feed to the farm here in Turner. It comes by rail to another location and then is trucked over here," Schaub said.
Hillandale found that it's more economical to raise hens closer to feed suppliers, according to Schaub.
Hillandale was once one of the top taxpayers in Turner but dwindling egg production over the years prompted the town to pursue new ways to grow the tax base.
"Turner is fortunate in that it's geographically well situated. We've had some good commercial growth along the route 4 corridor. And pretty strong residential construction in town. The new value we've added in the community it's, fortunately, been not too tremendous an impact," Schaub said.
Hillandale is now trying to sell several large parcels of land in Turner that are zoned agricultural/industrial.