Many years ago, my family took a trip to Ghana. When we were en route and on a layover in the UK, the airport staff realized that we didn’t have the visa required to continue to our final destination, and we were forced to take an unplanned 3 day pit-stop in London.
While waiting for the embassy to issue us visas, we had the chance to explore London. And it was then that I learned the expression “mind the gap” (the phrase heard overhead at train stations referring to the gap between the trains and the platforms).
As I sat down and started to write about a little issue we’re going to have with our pork supply this month, I just couldn’t seem to get this trip and the expression “mind the gap” out of my head.
There are soooo many factors that go into whether we have meat to share with you. It starts with a healthy sow and boar. A well timed breeding. A healthy pregnancy. An uncomplicated delivery. Piglets that nurse well and sows that mother well. And ends with pigs that thrive on pasture until they make their way to the butcher.
Thanks to some very careful planning and great farming practices, we’ve been incredibly consistent over the years. But at one point earlier this year, a farrowing (farm lingo for delivering piglets) went wrong. And we lost a litter of piglets.
Maybe you’re wondering why this happened or maybe you want to avert your eyes and stop reading right now? There’s no judgement either way. But the truth is that we don’t have an answer. Nature and thereby farming is just cruel like this sometimes.
All this is to say that I have a big favor to ask you this week. Please, mind the gap! We promise to be back in full force with our regular pork inventory the first week of September.
Your Farmers,
Jenney & Greg