PASTURED PIGS - will it be a success? 

Best of luck with the pigs. They look great. I hope your heifers are doing very well too!

Regarding the feeder pigs…the real difference in raising your own and store bought from a grocery store is the taste! Plus knowing exactly how they are raised etc. As always, Cheers! And I’m so happy that you’re back ✌️🤍

That’s a wonderful project

I know of a wonderful farm in Tasmania, Australia with grazed pigs as their basis. What they have done though to make it viable (and thrive) is value add. They have farm open days with paddocks planted out specifically for sunflower photoshoots so punters can come and take photos with reliable pigs and pretty flowers. They also process their pigs on site and send out direct to public as well as make smoked haunches and sausages etc. They planted extensive gardens and fitted out a shed for hosting weddings. They hold biannual community long tables each year where they spit a whole pig and, for a minimal entry fee, encourage people to bring their own plate of food and sit down to a feast. They're also building domes for glam camping in the near future. Most importantly of all, it's meant that they can fatten hogs ethically and in accordance with their ethology. For such sentient animals this is key to social license for ongoing consumption.

Sounds like Hazel is invaluable. Good idea to keep the location secret. A pig farmer on the Wiltshire downs, ( perfect for free range) had to give up due to rustlers of a certain community. Out of interest, the Wiltshire village we lived in , his Lordship way back in the 30s, who then owned the village, saw to it that each parishioner had a pig sty and was supplied with a piglet to rear on, as he wanted them to enjoy better nutrition. I was thinking, has anyone tried growing roots on the rootled area for the pigs to go back to? If they get out, you may end up with the NZ situation in Northumbria.

The commercial pig unit down the road has 2 crops of pigs on half the land then grows barley and rears 2 crops of pigs on the other half that was in barley. Straw is baled for use in the pig houses. It works well apart from the explosion in the rook population that goes with outdoor pig units.