Rebounding from a devastating hit by the avian flu earlier this year, Crescent Duck Farm in Long Island is making strides towards recovery. Doug Corwin, the proprietor of this century-old duck farm, witnessed a harrowing scene of many dead and listless birds during a routine inspection in January, signaling the toll of a global avian flu outbreak. The farm, facing the grim task of culling its entire flock, reflects a broader crisis that has jacked up the prices of eggs and other farm commodities.
After months of extensive cleaning and updating the farm's infrastructure, a new hope arrived at Crescent Duck Farm with the introduction of approximately 900 young ducks, as reported by ABC7NY.
Grown from the eggs spared from the culling, these ducks are an effort by Corwin to preserve the distinct lineage that has set his family's farm apart. As Corwin told New York Post, "All I know is I don’t want to be hit again. If I go through this twice, I’m done as a duck farmer."
The stakes are high for Corwin, 66, who is the fourth generation leading the farm, and the last one remaining in a region which was once dotted with over a hundred duck-producing farms. He is determined to bring the farm back but assures that he will not rush the process. By next summer, the hope is to have the first batch of ducks processed and headed for markets, but the farm may not be operating at its previously seen capacity of processing 1 million ducks annually for quite some time.
Meanwhile, the bird flu pandemic continues to cast a long shadow over Corwin's efforts. More than 1,700 outbreaks have affected close to 175 million birds across all states since 2022, causing strain on both poultry and cattle farmers due to the H5N1 variant's unexpected jump from fowl to cattle, as noted by Dr. Gavin Hitchener of Cornell University's Duck Research Laboratory. With no substantial end to the pandemic in sight and the federal compensation not matching close to the market value of lost birds, Corwin hopes for a federal mandate on livestock vaccination against bird flu that could offer a semblance of security for his farm's future.
Despite the setbacks, the newly arrived ducks at Crescent represent a critical component of the farm's legacy and resilience. Corwin remains not just a farmer, but a custodian of local heritage, telling ABC7NY, "I feel I owe it to the ancestors of farmers who’ve been here all these years and have come this far to just make a go of it. I want to make Long Island proud."
