“Sure.”
The second day went better.
Hannah shortened the release corridor.
The flock spread more evenly.
Jack learned how to use the whistle.
His first attempt was so weak half the ducks ignored him.
Hannah demonstrated.
Jack tried again.
The flock turned.
His expression changed.
“That’s useful.”
Hannah smiled.
“Careful.”
“What?”
“You’re learning.”
“Don’t push it.”
By Monday, early data looked promising.
The Miller vineyard did not become snail-free.
That had never been Hannah’s goal.
The population fell below the damage level in treated rows faster than expected.
Young shoots recovered.
Chemical use became unnecessary in the duck-treated blocks during the immediate outbreak.
That saved money.
More importantly, it bought time while supply remained tight.
Other growers noticed.
Calvin Moss appeared Monday afternoon with a notebook.
Hannah looked at him.
“What?”
“How many ducks per acre?”
She smiled.
“Oh.”
“Don’t.”
“Need help from the petting zoo?”
Calvin sighed.
“I deserve that.”
“Yes.”
He waited.
Hannah gave him the information anyway.
Not because she wanted to prove superiority.
Because snails were spreading across the valley.
Her farm succeeding while neighbors failed would not help the region.
She explained density.
Rotation.
Training.
Why she did not leave the ducks all day.
Why young vines needed protection.
Why clean water mattered.
Why she was concerned about nutrient buildup if the flock remained concentrated.
Calvin took notes.
“You think I should buy eighty?”
“No.”
He looked disappointed.
“Why?”
“How much acreage?”
“Seventy-two.”
“You need a management plan first.”
“You sound like a lawyer.”
“You mocked me for four months.”
“Yes.”
“So now you get the long answer.”
Calvin smiled.
“Fair.”
Brian Keller from the supply store called Wednesday.
“You know how to order ducks?”
Hannah laughed.
“You run a farm store.”
“We sell feed, not livestock.”
“What happened to chemicals?”
“Still delayed.”
“And?”
Silence.
Hannah waited.
Brian finally said, “People are asking.”
“For ducks?”
“Yes.”
Hannah sat down.
“How many?”
“Enough that my boss thinks I started a trend by insulting you.”
“You did not start the trend.”
“I know.”
Another pause.
“Can you come talk to us?”
“About what?”
“Doing this correctly.”
That mattered.
Hannah had been afraid people would copy the visible part.
Buy ducks.
Release ducks.
Expect magic.
The actual system required more.
Timing.
Training.
Fencing.
Water.
Predator management.
Vine age.
Disease monitoring.
Flock health.
Rotational use.
A poorly managed flock could create new problems.
Hannah agreed to speak.
The farm store workshop drew forty-one people.
Calvin sat in front.
Jack stood in the back pretending he was only there because Linda made him come.
Hannah began with a slide showing ducks in the vineyard.
Everyone smiled.
Then the next slide read:
DUCKS ARE NOT A REPLACEMENT FOR THINKING.
The room laughed.
Hannah did not.
“I’m serious.”
She explained what the birds had done.
Then what they had not proven.
“One outbreak on one vineyard does not establish that ducks are right for every block, every pest, or every farm.”
She showed control counts.
Weather conditions.
Vine age.