Pigs on Pasture
The primary reason we raise pigs on pasture is for health. This is both the pigs health and the health of the land. When out on pasture, we can leverage frequent moves, fresh air, and sunshine to keep things clean and sanitary. When animals are left in one location for too long, manure builds up and things become unsanitary. The result of this is a buildup of pathogens and parasites leading to sick, unhealthy animals.
Regular moves to clean paddocks not only keep our animals healthy but it keeps the land healthy. A major benefit of regular moves is the ability to manage the impact that the animals make on the ground. It allows us to keep their paddocks from turning into hard-packed dirt lots or complete muddy wallows often seen with other management practices.
If there is a smell, something is out of balance. We had a visitor to our farm exclaim"These are the cleanest pigs I have ever seen!", and this is exactly the reaction we want.
Why Raise Pigs on Pasture
Pigs have the stigma of being dirty and smelly when in fact they are one the cleanest and smartest farm animals. Pigs will only use the bathroom in one location until they run out of room in that area. When we manage with this in mind, we can rotate paddocks before the manure load and soil impact get too high.
Exercise is a key component to staying healthy. Our pigs have room to roam, root, and rub. They get the opportunity to exercise and develop their muscles building stronger, denser muscles with a higher concentration of nutrients.
Rotating pigs also builds soil health. The pigs spread their manure across the land rather than concentrating it on one area. They root, rub, and eat the vegetation making way for native plants laying dormant int he seed bank to sprout. We are co-laborer's with our pigs, using them to clear undesirable vegetation or turning the ground for a future garden. When everything is kept in balance, health and wellness is inevitable.
Building Blocks to Health
As Joel Salatin puts it 'Farming should be visually and aromatically pleasing' not dirty, smelly, and offensive. We intend to manage our animals as close to God's design as possible. Pigs were designed to go through thick brush, turn over the earth, and eat a wide variety of foods. There is little that is better than calling out and seeing a group of pigs come barreling through the woods to see you. We manage in a way that allows them to fully express God's design and show the 'Pigness of the pig'.
