Kakadoodle

Suzy Khimm an investigative reporter with NBC News spent a couple days with us last week. Walked around the farm, played with puppies, had leftover frozen pizza at our kitchen table (we’re really good hosts! ??). We got deep into all the things… from cancer to bird flu, funding freeze and beyond. Tears flowed. This is her in-depth article, proceeding tonight’s NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt segment at 5:30 CST. https://lnkd.in/gP5qe6vp

A friend just shared this with me. Guess were not the only ones have problem finding eggs! ?? https://lnkd.in/gRxVPYC3

Ok, we raised our GoFundMe goal. This was not an easy decision... First, losing our flock to bird flu. But now, the federal funding freezes have made things even tougher—programs we were depending on to help stabilize Kakadoodle are now suspended. The reality is, we either raise or borrow a significant amount of money to make it through 2025. And while I was hesitant to increase the goal (because, honestly, I worried it might seem greedy), the truth is this funding is essential to staying afloat without taking on heavy debt. The good news? If we can make it through this year, Kakadoodle will be fully self-sustaining and independent. That’s incredibly rare in this industry. It means we’re proving that small farms can thrive outside the industrial food system—without chemicals, without government support, and without the supply chain failures we’ve all seen too many times. We are so grateful for this community. You’ve already done so much for us, and we cannot thank you enough. ?? ?? If you’d like to learn more, you can check out our GoFundMe update here: https://gofund.me/f403de5c

Thanks Local Food Forum for sharing our story!

The Chicago Sun-Times just covered our story, highlighting what’s next for Kakadoodle and how we’re pushing forward. https://lnkd.in/g774GpF9 ?? #Kakadoodle #LocalFood #Resilient

Fox32 Chicago visited us at the farm again. This time to chat about the funding freeze. First the bird flu, now the funding freeze. ??

Last October, the State of Illinois notified us that we were unofficially awarded a $200,000 grant to remodel an old pole barn into a new distribution center. It was pending USDA approval. We were told that work done in the meantime would likely be reimbursed, so we moved forward with concrete, insulation, HVAC. We were counting on that reimbursement for cash flow this year, but yesterday we learned that all funding for this grant has been suspended. We're not sure what that means exactly, but it’s likely we won’t see that money anytime soon—if at all. Two other pending grants we had were also canceled, and our steady revenue from moving food to food banks has halted. Between bird flu and now this, it feels like we’re caught in a perfect storm. It’s scary to be in the middle of it. But here’s the good news: I’ve never felt more confident about Kakadoodle. These challenges have forced us to scale back and refocus on our core mission—delivering chemical-free food directly to homes. This is where we can make the biggest impact, and our attention is now laser-focused right where it belongs. It’s even sparking new ideas that I believe will take Kakadoodle to the next level. I'd even argue that this spending freeze is actually making our company stronger—pushing us to thrive in an open market without relying on government assistance. I’ve been finding inspiration in Ryan Holiday’s book The Obstacle Is the Way. He writes, “Never forget, within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition.” That’s the mindset we’re embracing as we navigate this storm.

An IL farm organization is understandably concerned about the "new administration's federal funding freeze and staff dismissals." They requested that farmers tell their stories. Here's mine: --- Last year, the State of Illinois unofficially informed us we’d secured a USDA grant to build our new local food distribution center, subject to national approval. Months later, we’re still waiting for that green light. With time running short, we pushed ahead anyway, borrowing money for infrastructure upgrades in the hope the grant would cover us. Now, that reimbursement feels more uncertain than ever. Losing our flock to avian flu and enduring a farm quarantine has only deepened the challenge—without the grant, cash flow will be razor-thin, and survival will demand some serious creativity. But we will survive. What if we turned this setback into an opportunity? Instead of relying on government assistance, we could seize this moment to create a business that stands on its own—developing products people want to buy, driven by farmers like us. For decades, since the 1930s, we’ve been conditioned to lean on government support to get food to people. That dependence has fueled the rise of massive industrial operations and monocultures, replacing family farms with a system that’s efficient, yes, but sustainable? I’m not so sure. I envision something better: a decentralized food system where small farms thrive, growing what people value at prices that sustain us. A system that works with nature, not against it, to feed our country sustainably—one that’s resilient enough to weather outbreaks and challenges like these. We all have a choice. We can stand still and pity ourselves, or we can see this as a chance to build something even better.

A few weeks ago, we lost our entire flock of 3,000 hens to avian flu. It was devastating. As I was boarding a plane at Midway, Fox, CBS, and ABC all called — they were heading to the farm to cover our story, with or without us. I canceled my flight and headed home. What followed was a whirlwind of national coverage, emotional challenges, and a huge reminder that we don’t always have control — but community support can carry you through. I shared the full story here ?? https://lnkd.in/gYNnry5P #Kakadoodle #Resilience #Leadership #LocalFood #SmallBusiness

Here's our thoughts on why the Bird Flu is Emptying Grocery Shelves— and what we can all do about it. https://lnkd.in/gr5Zbf4G