Crescent Duck Farm incubates first eggs laid onsite since outbreak

Crescent Duck Farm took another step towards rebuilding this week as the first full clutch of new eggs went into the incubator on Monday, Aug. 18.

“We are on mile nine of a 26-mile marathon,” said Doug Corwin, owner of Crescent Duck. “I need to rebuild the flocks, which means I need to reproduce this first generation to get a second generation, which hopefully will have me in business by next June.”

The first generation of ducks hatched from salvaged eggs is not large enough to return the farm to full production, which means that the 55 workers who were laid off after the H5N1 outbreak last January still have not returned to work. 

Farming is a precarious business under even ideal conditions, with a long list of potentially devastating disasters besides disease waiting in the wings. 

“Farmers keep their emotions in check,” Mr. Corwin said. “Who knows when the next plague comes, the next government edict comes, the next weather disaster comes, the next hurricane comes and rips off half of your buildings, who knows?”

Still, the farm is moving forward with that roughly 18-month goal in mind. They continue with necessary protocols and hold their collective breath.

“I am guardedly optimistic,” he added. “We’re just plugging along. We’re rebuilding a lot of old barns. I still have 18 people on the payroll. I can’t pick all the muscle away from what we have here and then expect to start right up again.”

Though the appetite for developing an avian influenza vaccine has waned, the community support has remained strong. This unwavering interest in the rebuilding effort has buoyed morale and become a touchstone for Mr. Corwin.

“We’re very, very thankful for the community support, the political support and everyone that’s behind us,” said Mr. Corwin. “I’ve had a phenomenal response from the restaurant community … here locally … [and] across the country, that say, ‘I can’t wait, I can’t wait to see you back.’ We’re very thankful for that. If I didn’t have that, I wouldn’t be so guardedly optimistic about what we’re doing here right now.” 

Only time will tell exactly when the farm will be at full capacity and resume normal operations.

“I wish I could speed this up, but it’s only so fast that biology allows us to do that,” Mr. Corwin said.