Our biggest regret of 2021 was what we so lovingly called, The Piglet Explosion. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about here, let me jog your memory…
Typically we have just 1-2 sows delivering piglets each month. But around this time last year, we realized that due to a few strategic errors on our part, we actually had 6 sows due within a few weeks of each other.
We hustled and built new wintertime farrowing structures to accommodate all the action. And in the moment, felt relieved that everyone seemed to be faring quite well.
The sows showed amazing mothering instincts and had safe deliveries without much, if any, intervention from us. And the piglets ended up being as healthy as could be, despite the coinciding cold snap.
All should have been well and good in the world. But it slowly turned into one of our lowest points in the whole year. And here’s why….
For various reasons, including huge litters and very low rates of loss (usually causes for celebration), we had more piglets than we knew what to do with. Actually, wayyyyy more piglets than we knew what to do with.
We couldn’t integrate them into our schedule (we book all our butcher dates a whole year in advance!). And despite our plan to share the surplus with other farmers in our region, we soon learned that our supply was far outpacing demand.
Over time, caring for this many piglets at one time left us feeling more and more drained. And it was also putting a serious strain on our farm systems (think winter-time watering and grain storage/distribution).
We tried to find a way out. We called every organic farmer we could think of, posted on list-serves, and did all the things. But as the weeks went by, we knew we were stuck.
The stress bubbled up and out of us in different ways at different times. And then, in the 11th hour when the last batch of piglets was 9 weeks old, we received a return phone call from a reputable farm in the Hudson Valley.
They were thrilled at the proposition of taking all 20 of the remaining piglets. All we had to do was deliver them to their farm (a story for another time!) and just like that, they were gone!
We’ve been sharing about all the planning and strategizing we’ve been doing lately. And I thought I’d mention, in case you’re curious, that the piglet explosion of years past is NOT part in plan for 2022 or beyond.
We’re aiming for just enough piglets for us and a few of the farmers we know and trust. And that’s it!
Your Farmers,
Jenney & Greg
PS – Don’t forget! This week will be the last opportunity to pick up our organic and pasture raised pork at our lower 2021 prices! Stock up while supplies last and order ahead HERE.
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