So, what has kept Canadian egg farmers relatively small? Von Massow points to Canada's supply management system, which guarantees even small farmers enough income to stay in business.
"There is less incentive to grow because I can make money at this size," he says. "There's still an incentive to be efficient. But there's not a requirement to get as big."
To keep its small farms viable, Canada also restricts imports of farm products like eggs and dairy from the U.S., which is one source of friction in the current trade war.
Despite the trade war, the U.S. government has one potential solution to help meet demand and keep egg prices from climbing even higher: temporarily increasing egg imports.
