Pig loading probably isn’t something you’ve heard us talk about much. But it involves moving the pigs from the pasture to our trailer so we can transport them to the butcher. And it’s one of the last steps in the process.
If you’re envisioning a stressed animal being pushed or shoved, poked or prodded, I understand. The images from those terribly important, but equally terrifying, YouTube videos are permanently seared in my mind, too.
Our farm isn’t like that, though. Our aim every day is to ensure that the animals are happy and healthy. This starts the day the pigs are born here, on the farm with us, and includes every day that follows, even loading day.
There’s no place for force or fear. And that’s not just for the animal welfare reasons. It’s also because we’ve always held as truth what food experts say about the animals’ stress hormones reducing the quality of the food itself.
Given our intentions with the farm and the animals, the process of pig loading is gentle. It just involves Greg taking the trailer down to their paddock a few days in advance so the pigs can get accustomed to this new addition to their surroundings. And then a few happy, low-stress pigs, walking themselves up and on.
If you’re new to our community and you’re wondering why you just spent the last several minutes reading about loading pigs, I’m not sure I have a great answer.
But I have this hunch that there’s some cosmic benefit to knowing the full journey our food takes from the farm, to the table. And that’s exactly what we’re creating here.
Your Farmers,
Jenney & Greg