Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com

Published - Sunday, July 20, 2008

800-acre Racine County duck farm to be auctioned

YORKVILLE, Wis. (AP) — More than 800 acres once used for duck farming in Racine County are about to go on the auction block.

The property includes acres in three separate locations.

Maple Leaf Farms used it to raise and slaughter ducks. But the Milford, Indiana, company announced in March it was closing its operations here due in part to rising feed costs.

Maple Leaf Farms is the world’s largest producer of duck meat.

The closing of its Racine County farm eliminated about 175 of the company’s 210 jobs in this area.

The company is splitting up its 802 acres into 20 tracts for auction on Aug. 13.

Co-president Scott Tucker says the property includes tillable farmland, building sites and hunting spots. A processing plant, poultry and other buildings also will be auctioned.

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