The many blessings of ducks
The ducks began as our pasture fertility management plan. Instead of buying expensive harsh chemical fertilizers our flocks of grazing sheep are followed by flocks of foraging ducks, who happily deposit their all-natural fertilizer onto our pasture soils.
A diet of high quality feed from a local mill plus foraging in the grass in the sunlight and fresh air makes for healthy happy ducks. And happy ducks lay the most nutritious and delicious eggs in the world. (Admittedly I am biased.)
And boy oh boy our lady ducks sure are enthusiastic layers! Even with strong farmers’ market sales our auxiliary refrigerator is still bursting with more eggs than we know what do with - until recently.
The (food) Justice Project of Wilkes
The Justice Project run out of the Unified City Church in North Wilkesboro operates a food pantry that provides free food to families, households, and individuals in need throughout our county. Members of our community who have fallen on tough times can get their groceries for free from the weekly food pantry. Justice Project staff and volunteers also deliver groceries and meals to folks who can’t make it to the pantry. Besides food they also provide household items and things like blankets, sleeping pads, and tents to homeless people.
The food (and other items) distributed by the Justice Project all come from donations. Grocery stores and local farms donate surplus produce and packaged foods. Lately we have been donating our surplus duck eggs to the pantry.
The ducks are a new (2026) initiative here at Magpie Hollow Farm, and over the next few months we expect our market sales to catch up with production. When that happens the surplus goes away, and with it our weekly contributions to the food pantry.
Let’s not let that happen.
The work that the Justice Project folks are doing is inspiring and sorely needed in our county. We want to support their efforts by committing to weekly donations of 20-30 dozen eggs (or more if necessary) to meet the needs of the families and individuals they serve. We want Nikki and Jody to know they can count on us to be there with a cooler or two full of eggs for them to distribute every week.
Here’s how we’re going to do that.
Magpie Hollow Farm News has always been and will remain a free newsletter. However, we have now activated paid subscriptions. All funds collected from paid subscribers support our weekly egg donations to the Justice Project food pantry.
Pasture raised duck eggs are a Superfood - absolutely packed with nutrition and flavor. Our collaboration with the Justice Project food pantry is an efficient way to get key nutrients into the bellies of people - especially kids - whose precarious life circumstances make sustaining a healthy diet difficult. We donate fresh eggs as well as hardboiled eggs - the latter are favored by folks who have limited access to cooking facilities and prefer a portable snack with its own biodegradable packaging.
We’re really excited about this project! If this excites you too, then consider signing up for a paid subscription and/or giving a gift subscription to a friend or family member. You are part of the team supporting our commitment to environmental sustainability and local food security in our county and region!