Hello, and welcome to the August newsletter for Laughing Duck Farm. Thank you so much for taking the time to read it. August is such a busy time of year. Many of us are trying to fit in all of the summer things we love and don’t want to miss, some of us are starting to think about a new school year for our children, and nobody seems to be able to believe how quickly these summer months fly by. I really hope and pray that you are able to take a moment to breathe and be fully present, enjoying these beautiful days and all of the glorious moments they provide.

On the Farm

I am finally starting to feel like I can catch my breath around here! Our daughter’s wedding was a beautiful success, three of the four batches of chickens are in the freezer, and I have completely given up my garden to the weeds. I will try again next year on that one. We have a couple of months left before the pigs, steer, goats and turkeys go in to the butcher, so right now the main job is to just keep everything moving. We move all of the animals around on fresh pastures. This is very good for the animals. It means they are eating a variety of grasses and weeds. The poultry gets to chase and eat all types of bugs, and the pigs get to dig in all of the dirt. This does more than just keep the animals happy. It also gives the animals access to a variety of minerals and creates complex protein strands which are much healthier for the end consumer. I spend a lot of time moving these animals which is good for me too!

When you come to the farm you will notice that everything is lush and green. We have had so much rain this year, as I’m sure many of you have noticed. This has been wonderful for the pastures. I have heard that this has created a bit of a challenge for corn and bean farmers, as those things like hot and dry weather, but those of us whose livelihood depends on grass are very happy.

The only real issue we have had this year is predators. I’m not sure if it is all of the rain driving certain wildlife up out of the nearby creek beds, or the increase in home building in our area, but we have seen far more predation than we are used to. There is a very large well fed hawk that has been dining on pasture raised chicken. There is a very bold fox that has eaten almost all of my ducks, and there are some sneaky racoons that have been helping themselves to the feed in the barn. My typical solution to these types of things is to trap wildlife and relocate it. Unfortunately, there isn’t much I can do about the hawk. It is illegal to harm them in any way, and I don’t think relocation really works with them. Instead I have started keeping the meat birds covered at all times with a net. I have been trying to trap the racoons with basic live traps, but so far all I have caught is our barn cats. These cats are getting annoyed frustrated with me. As for the fox, I am a little nervous. I have mostly been trying to chase her off. Unfortunately she is not afraid of me. She has walked within ten feet of me without looking at all nervous. She also looks rather sick and irritated. This means that if I were to catch her in a live trap, I would probably have to have her destroyed. I could not knowingly release her somewhere because I am certain I would be spreading disease. Farming is full of difficult choices.

Pig Roast

This year our pig roast is August 3rd. The festivities will start around 4. We will be roasting a whole pig, as well as a beef brisket, corn on the cob, and watermelon. There will be farm tours, games and door prizes. This is always great fun with a large variety of people to meet and talk to. It looks like a lot of you are planning on coming, so make sure you get here in time for roasted meat! Once it’s gone it’s gone! Our address is 2482 170th ave, Emerald, WI 54013. I can’t wait to see you there!

Bulk Foods

Many of you are here looking for the bulk food ordering information, so here it is! Everyone has been doing such a nice job of following directions and being patient with me, that I really look forward to the bulk food day. This month’s orders are due by 7pm on Friday, August 2nd. Your delivery should be ready by Thursday, August 8th by 4:00pm. Please remember, that while I do my best, I have nowhere to refrigerate your items. If your are ordering frozen or refrigerated things, you are not going to want them to sit here a long time.

Placing a bulk food order is pretty easy once you get used to it. First, browse the products. If you know what you are looking for, it is pretty easy to find on the alphabetized price list that is attached. You can order almost anything you could imagine through this list, so really think about what items your family eats a lot of. We even found a pretty good deal on lump charcoal! If you are a more visual person, you can go to walnutcreekfoods.com and browse there. This way you can see pictures and ingredient lists. You can also search a little easier. The only issue is that you won’t be able to see prices there. If you are searching for gluten free items on the site, try searching “GF”. If you are looking for organic, try searching “org”. This seems to pull up more items.

Next, send me the list of items you would like to order. You should send this in an email to northhaus@gmail.com . Include the item number, a brief description of it, and what it costs. This way I can make sure I am ordering the right thing. Have this order to me by 7pm on Friday August 2nd.

Finally, pick up your items after 4pm here on the farm. Our address is 2482 170th ave, Emerald, WI 54013. Please let me know if you are planning on picking up later than 8pm so I don’t worry about you. You can pay with check or cash at that time. Our September order will be delivered on September 5th. The due date for placing those orders will be due August 30th.

Store Shopping

I am hoping to have regular hours in the store starting this fall. Until then, there is usually someone here. Just text me at 612.202.4359 to let me know when you will be stopping by. You can see what we have in our store by checking out our Bagged Items List here or our Meat List here. Also, if you are interested in filling your freezer with a half or whole of one of our lovely pastured pigs, we still have a few available. The cost is $300 for a half hog and $600 for a whole. They will be butchered either at Sailer’s in Elmwood WI or Kessler’s in Glenwood City WI. You pay your own processing fees so that you can have it done just the way you would like!

I hope to see many of you this month, at the store, the pig roast, or maybe a farmer’s market. I hope that the rest of your summer is filled with joy, blessings, and good health. Most of all, I hope this moment is filled with peace.

Kathy