Joe Jurgielewicz & Son

The heritage of Joe Jurgielewicz & Son is now in its fourth generation of raising Pekin Duck.  As a farming family, we embrace the daily chores, our community, and this delicate land that is entrusted to our care.  By attending to these priorities, we have cultivated an environment to raise the most healthy and succulent duck in America.

It all began with my grandparents, Bronislaw and Katryna Jurgielewicz back in 1933 on Long Island, New York.  Fifty years later, my parents and I found 500 pristine acres in Eastern Pennsylvania.  After graduating from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University in 1983, we built our new homes and a new farm on this land nestled in the foothills of Blue Mountain.  Today we enjoy four full seasons, exquisite views, and the hearty traditions of the Pennsylvania Dutch community.

Our families live here.  Our neighbors depend upon our responsible stewardship.  Our ducks deserve a clean upbringing.  Our clients are entitled to nothing less than a wholesome product.  These are the reasons that Joe Jurgielewicz & Son takes sustainable agriculture very seriously.  We have invested millions of dollars to protect this ecosystem and the return is evident on many levels.  Everything that leaves this farm is processed to enhance your quality of life and preserve the natural biological cycles around us.

That is why our Environmental Coordinator also wears the hat of our Conservation Officer.  Our waterways and grass buffer strips that stop erosion are also designed for animal cover.  We have designated food plots for wildlife.  Our strawberry fields are open to our associates.  The Pennsylvania Fish Commission trusts our clean waters with their trout for public fishing.  Our processed waste leaves our plant with nutrient balance sheets for the farmers that enrich their soils with our fertilizers.  Technology, education, and experience provide us with the sustainability tools….our appreciation of the land impassions us to use those tools.             

Our research facility is a landmark of science applauded by the agricultural, academic, and culinary communities.  It is here that our veterinarians and biologists develop natural feed formulas, critical duckling care, waste management, and the duck house living standards.  My breed is natural and we have never employed genetic tampering or growth hormones.

To create that pièce de résistance, a chef will begin with a duck that acts in concert with the efforts of preparation.  It is the meat-to-fat balance that enables this cooperation between the duck and the artist.  We raise our ducks to achieve a perfect meat-to-fat ratio that ensures a consistent succulence.  One of the keys to this success is in the living conditions that we patiently maintain for our ducks.  They are kept in spacious sheltered houses with accurate temperature control and clean air.  A happy duck is a healthy duck…..a healthy duck is a happy chef.