This Little
Ducky Went Electric
Little Ducky Flower Farm sits on seven acres about an hour outside of Chicago in Barrington, Illinois. My wife, Sarah, and I founded the farm in 2022, and we've loved every second of it since then.
We have ducks, geese, sheep and hundreds of plants on our slice of paradise, which requires a lot of transport and feeding. We purchased an F-150 Lightning a few months after opening the farm for its first year and it was easily the best decision we’ve made.
I wasn’t initially convinced an electric vehicle was the right fit, but now there’s no going back. I still have to fill one jerry can at the gas station for my diesel tractor (electric upgrade incoming!) and it’s a constant reminder of why I’m happy to have made the switch to electric power.
The truck is so much more versatile than I initially anticipated. Ford did a great job making the Lightning suitable as a work truck, but also great on the roads. It has nearly replaced all my vehicles – it’s more comfortable and affordable for us to run than my sedan and gas truck thanks to our home charging set up. I don’t think my ducks were bothered by my gas truck’s idle noise, but I enjoy the extra peace with Lightning.
At night, I plug the truck into my home charger and the truck is ready to go in the morning.
I never really worry about range or running out of charge, either. After a full day of errands – whether that’s taking my sheep to the vet, hauling hay from multiple local suppliers on a single trip, or towing a tractor– the truck always has plenty of power for all my evening chores around the property.
This truck is a total gamechanger for our work around the farm. The Lightning makes our flower deliveries a breeze with the roomy frunk up front where the engine would be in a gas-powered truck. If we ever lose power on the farm, I feel secure knowing my truck can keep the essentials running by using Pro Power On-Board.
Another surprise about owning an electric truck is all the extra space. We use our F-150 Lightning to haul livestock, transport feed, and deliver flowers. The huge frunk (with drain) keeps our flowers safe during transit, and I can easily load and remove heavy items right out the front.
Starting out, we only had a battery-powered weedwhacker to complement our suite of gas-powered tools. Since then, we’ve purchased our Lightning and upgraded to all-electric power tools, lawnmowers, and a utility terrain vehicle (UTV). Solar power and charging will come to the farm soon too, so keep your eyes out for that.
Why an electric truck? We're aiming to create a more efficient, sustainable and energy independent farm, and electric vehicles are a key part of that. The charging capabilities of the truck really make the switch to electric tools a no brainer – no more filling jerry cans at the gas station or fiddling with small engine repair. I always keep a bank of tool batteries with the truck – when a tool runs out of power, I just plug in the used battery and swap it for a fresh one.
On big jobs around the farm, I really appreciate how much time I save using the Lightning pickup. I used to have to trek back to the garage or barn to swap tool batteries during a job – and that time really adds up. Now, I can just plug the dead batteries into my truck right next to me and have them charge while I work. There’s only two of us on the farm so I jump at any opportunity to make our work more efficient.
My advice for people considering the F-150 Lightning? Go drive one yourself. You’ll be surprised by what it’s capable of.
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