Pigs, while less than half the size of cows, are rough on pastures. With those incredibly strong snouts of theirs, they’ll turn what was once rich pasture in the fall season, into barren land by the spring.
This spells trouble on a farm like ours, since barren land is the #1 risk factor for erosion and nutrient runoff.
Even more troublesome than that, compaction of the soil prevents air and water from penetrating the ground, which will make it so that next to nothing will grow there in the future, posing an obvious challenge to raising pasture raised meats, right?
We’ve learned, that with some TLC (and the right equipment!) anything is possible in those well-used winter pig paddocks. But it takes time…
In these last few weeks, we’ve used special tractor implements (a chisel plow and then a disc) to rough up the soils and smooth out the pigs’ wallows. Next, we used a grain drill (basically a gigantic seeder) to sow big swaths of oats, peas, and buckwheat.
In one of the paddocks that was particularly rooted up and well fertilized by the big breeding pigs, we skipped the pasture mixtures and seeded over 1,400 bed feet of winter squash – yet another strategy to balance the soil nutrients.
Just last week, the green growth emerged. With time and rest, these plants will grow big root systems, help rebuild the disturbed soil structure, and transform sunlight into food for animals or for humans, and with the winter squash, for both.
When you hear us talking about being good stewards of our land, this is what it looks like. And as you know, where there’s good farming, there will be good food…
Your Farmers,
Jenney & Greg
PS – We’re calling all our foodie friends to the Farm Store this week. We have lots of pork and grass fed ground beef available. If you would like to place an order, download the 3 Easy Steps to ordering HERE. ❤️