We look forward to this moment that only happens once a year.
Getting our pig herd moved off their winter paddock located up near the top of the farm and out to the grazing pastures on the back field, is truly one of the most glorious sights to behold.
There’s a lot of careful planning and preparation that happens before we can get to the point of giving the winter paddock the break it so desperately needs and get the animals rotationally grazing once again.
The biggest question that we’re charged with answering, is whether we think our pastures are truly ready for grazing.
We’ve made the mistake of moving them out too soon before – the fields were too wet, which resulted in the pigs creating more soil compaction than we’d like.
Careful not to repeat our mistakes, we’ve been watching and waiting. At last check, the grass met our benchmark and measured 6-8 inches tall, and the fields were just dry enough, so we decided that this would be the week!
The pigs moved well, I’m told, except for one smaller pig who wouldn’t get the hint. Greg and our new employee Abby tried all our best strategies and techniques – including bating the trailer with grain and hay, special body positioning and pig boards – but this little pig just wouldn’t budge, even with all the patience in the world.
I imagine how he must’ve felt about leaving his home for the first time and trusting us as the others had, only to see them disappear as Greg resettled them out of sight in the back field.
But this little pig needed to join its herd, which meant that just before nightfall, as I was warming up dinner, Greg resorted to a strategy he almost never uses, and simply grabbed the pig by the legs, picked him up, and put him on the trailer by hand.
As expected, he settled in beautifully, as the others did, once he was back there. And soon enough, these pigs will be so well trained to move every few days that they’ll flock to the fence lines itching to experience the bliss that is fresh pasture.
There’s nothing sweeter than this – after all, this is how we maintain the health of our soils, regenerate the pastures, and keep the quality of the meat we share with you sky high!
Your Farmers,
Jenney & Greg
PS – Don’t forget that good food makes great gifts and that this weekend is Mother’s Day!!! Order ahead HERE.
[fluentform id=”12″]