Moving Pigs

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posted on

May 7, 2024

Pigs are back on pasture at Polyface! Kept warm and snuggly all winter, we've returned our pigs to their usual home - the pigerator paddocks.

Pastured pigs are not only a lot of fun to raise, but the by-products of bacon, sausage, ham, and more make pigs well worth it. What all goes into raising pigs on pasture?

Our pig pastures are set up mainly in forest/silvopasture settings.

We run one or two strands of wire at the height of the pigs’ noses. Pigs don’t have great eyesight so the wire needs to be easy for them to see and kept at a high voltage. This means we often trim around the paddocks to keep the wires free from overgrowth and tall grass. In each paddock, there is a “doorway” to the next paddock which is closed with wooden gates. Pigs have an easier time moving from paddock to paddock through the wooden gates because they can see it better and can tell when it's open.

When we go to move the pigs, we drive out to the pasture with a tractor hooked up to a feed buggy. After letting ourselves into the paddock, we open the gate to the next paddock, scoop up their feeder with the tractor (we time the moves so that it is empty now), bring it to their new pasture, and fill it with fresh feed. All of our feed is non-GMO whole grain feed milled at a local farm and tested for glyphosate residue.

While we do this task, we drain the pigs' water tank (which is simply connected to our gravity-fed water system) and enjoy watching the pigs explore their new setting.

During the fall, the pigs enjoy rooting through leaves and crunching on acorns; in the spring and summer, they enjoy the fresh grass and greens that each paddock offers. And if they are lucky, they will find or make some mud!

After the water drinker has been drained and moved (usually we tip this and roll it over the electric wires to the next paddock) and we have moved the tractor out of the new paddock we look for any last pigs that haven't moved yet and coax them to join their friends in the new space. Then we close the wooden gates again and electrify the fence. We then head back to park the tractor and feed buggy, leaving the pigs to enjoy their best life!

Polyface does not farrow (breed/birth) our own pigs but we buy weaned pigs from some other great farmers around us.

When we get new piglets, we keep them in a barn pen for a few weeks where they can be trained to electric fencing. Once the pigs are big enough to be out on pasture and are trained to the wire, we load them up deliver them to their pasture paradise.

After months of feasting on good feed and enjoying their roomy forested paddocks, when our pigs are “finished” and ready for the butcher, part of our team goes to “yeehaw” them down the mountain and back to the barn. (It sounds far more exciting and high energy than it is.) Carrying a stick or “sort-board” (lightweight plastic boards with handles) we gently herd them out of their paddock and down the gravel farm-road. Just don’t let the pigs get the best of you! To herd pigs, much patience and quiet coaxing are required to make the pigs think it's THEIR idea to go the way you want them to go.

Our pigs spend most of their time out on pasture but, in the cold of winter, when the pigs are bedded down in a hoop house or barn, we spread old hay over their bedding about once a week to freshen things up and give them something to play with and cozy up in. In the spring, the pigs also work for us in the barns, stirring the bedding (pigaerating) and turning the cows' manure into rich compost. As you can see, the Polyface pigs play lots of roles here on the farm!

I hope this has given you a small glimpse of the work and joy of raising pigs! If you're ever near Swoope, VA, come visit the pigs yourself and see them in real time - living their best piggy lives!

Priscilla

Why Choose Fermented Foods?

My grandparents on my father’s side used to make sauerkraut in wooden barrels in the basement. My mother’s side made cheese and salami. I could smell these concoctions throughout the entire house. Fermenting is part of your national heritage, no matter your family’s country of origin. Alongside nourishing grass-fed/grass-finished pastured meats like Polyface raises, every person should include real fermented foods into their diet. This method of food preservation goes back farther than most realize, reconnecting us with ancient traditions, long before the refrigerator-freezer was invented. Every culture consumed something fermented every day. Here are the reasons why I like fermented foods. Fermentation preserves food without using high pressure, high heat, or chemicals, so it both conserves and increases them. The nutritional value of fermented foods lies mostly in the pro-biotic bacteria that are present, and byproducts of their digestion. The bacteria’s digestive “waste” is a collection of vitamins, enzymes, and co-factors needed for every system of the body. These include: Vitamins B1, B6, B12, C, and K2 Superoxide dismutase (SOD, an antioxidant) GTF chromium (assists sugar metabolism) Glutathione (a potent detoxifier) Phospholipids (cell membrane building blocks) Digestive enzymes Beta 1,2 glucans (present in shiitake mushrooms; modulates immune system) Fermentation neutralizes or eliminates these: Phytic acid (present in seeds, nuts, beans, legumes) Enzyme inhibitors (also present in seeds, nuts, beans, legumes) Nitrites Prussic acid (hydrogen cyanide) Oxalic acid (binds minerals) Nitrosamines (known carcinogen) Glucosides Probiotics and enzymes in whey neutralize phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors, allowing your digestion to access the nutrients in the food. Enzymes are proteins. Proteins are delicate molecules with very complex structure and shape. The structure of the enzyme gives it its function. Without structure and form, the enzyme will not do its job of catalyzing biochemical reactions. Without enzymes, biochemical reactions would cease. Enzymes are denatured (unraveled or broken down) by high pressure, high heat, acidic conditions, toxic chemicals, and electrical disturbances. Once denatured, they lose their form and shape, therefore they lose their function. Unlike canning and commercial processing, fermenting occurs at atmospheric pressure and room temperature, encouraging beneficial bacteria to thrive. Temperatures above 117 degrees Fahrenheit denature enzymes and kill probiotic bacteria. If you wonder what 117 degrees feels like, it’s the temperature at which you cannot touch an object with your bare hands and hold it for a few seconds. If it’s hot, but you can still touch and hold it in your hand and not pull away, it’s under 117 degrees. This innate protection mechanism (i.e., reflex) prevents your own protein (i.e., skin on your finger) from being denatured. It’s also a good indicator of when your food is hot enough to kill probiotics and denature enzymes. For best results, fermented foods must be eaten raw, never hot or cooked. Fermented foods are safe and protective against pathogens. USDA scientist Roger McFeeters, who oversees a fermentation laboratory, says, “The lactobacilli can number a billion per gram of tissue at the height of fermentation. The bad bacteria can't compete." According to McFeeters, lacto-fermentation has caused no known food-borne illness. "As far as we know, it's been going on for thousands of years. It's perfectly safe.” The sauerkraut that my grandparents made had a layer of raw pork chops embedded in the salted cabbage. When the sauerkraut was done, you could safely eat the pork chops raw! They were pre-digested by the bacteria, and “cooked" by the organic acids in the kraut. Probiotics prevented pathogens from establishing. None of us ever got food poisoning. My grandmother lived to be 100. Fermented foods have anti-carcinogenic properties. They normalize blood pressure and heart rate, help to break down fat in the liver, and maintain healthy systemic pH. And they are quite tasty. In the supermarket, look for fermented foods in the refrigerated section, not on the shelf with canned foods. Shelf-stable canned foods were subjected to high temperatures. The probiotics and enzymes have been denatured. Look for “live cultures” or “live probiotics” on the label. Eat something lacto-fermented every day, like your ancestors did. Just a tablespoon or two of sauerkraut or an ounce or two of cheese is enough to have the desired effect. Choose a salad dressing made with raw apple cider vinegar, or a tablespoon of a fermented condiment such as ketchup, mustard, or mayonnaise. Try a fermented beverage, like kombucha, beet kvass, or ginger ale. (Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon has some great recipes for all of these.) The original condiments were digestive aids. They’re easy to make. Try it. May you be deeply nourished! Susan

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The older I get, the more grateful I am for my parents who embraced different. Indulge me in a couple of stories from our family's past to illustrate how we relished "maverickness".

Moving Pigs

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