This is how it’s supposed to be.
Our pigs live out in the woods 24/7. Crazy right? Well, the way we see it this is how it is supposed to be. The pig has been designed by our Creator to naturally dig, forage and root. Their snouts help them do just that. Have you ever watched them? It’s pretty entertaining. We train our pigs to electric fence and put them into paddocks in the woods with 2 wires of aluminum electric fence and that’s all. Every few days, depending on the size of the paddock and the amount of pigs, we will move them to a new paddock to allow the land in the first paddock to heal and regenerate. Our pigs become accustomed to their routine of moving and it becomes everyone’s favorite day of the week. It is truly amazing to see how every party involved benefits in some way - the pigs, the land and the caretakers.
Not all pork is created equal. There are significant differences in the methods of how pork is raised and I’m prompting you to start challenging the system we’ve always known.
Now many homesteaders or people who are agriculturally-minded may raise their own pigs in a barn. I want to clarify that raising your own food in general is awesome and that is an excellent step in the right direction. However, I want to challenge those people to take it one step further and put the pigs OUTSIDE and move them. Here are the benefits of raising pigs outside on pasture or in the forest that I want you to consider:
Land Management - Let the pigs do the hard work for you. They naturally want to root up the ground and destroy whatever is in their way. Truly - if you’ve raised pigs, you know this. This can be beneficial when it is managed right. Give them access to the thick forest floor that could use some clearing and let them prune back overgrown vegetation. Then move them to a new space so that the land has a chance to regrow and come back even more beautiful. Moving them often is CRITICAL to the land regeneration.
Nutritious Meat - The pigs are able to exercise their muscles, move around and even run, making their meat significantly more nutritionally dense. Rather than taking on water weight and thus making spongey-like meat, forest-raised pork has more nutrition per pound and it is full of delicious flavor.
Minimal Financial and Time Input - ***with the right set up*** You have to be intentional with training your pigs to the electric fence. You have to be committed to checking on them every day. It doesn’t take long, but you have to check the fence, make sure they’re fed, watered, and moved. If it’s not monitored daily that is when things will go sour and take more of your time. The materials required to set up a paddock are aluminum wire, fence posts and insulators - nothing like a major barn build, concrete or expensive fencing. It can be very simple, but it has to be managed well to be successful.
Feed Supplement - While outside the pigs have access to roots, nuts, acorns, grasses, seeds and vegetation, all of which are food for them! We have raised pigs during both the summer and winter and we noticed a significance difference in the feed bill. In the summer, the pigs eat less of our feed because they are foraging more.
Enjoyable and Entertaining - It is inevitable that a smile will be on the caretaker’s face as they watch a pig run from one side of the paddock to the other in excitement to see them. Pigs are naturally curious and intelligent. It is a joy to see them have the space to express who they are.
Whether you raise your own pigs or support a farmer who does, I encourage you to pay attention to the management and practice of how the pork is raised. It makes a big difference in many ways. Parker’s dad, who is years wiser than us of course, always states as he watches the pigs in the forest, "this is how it is supposed to be”. Such a simple way to explain it. We feel this is the way that is most honorable to our Creator. Will you join us in this stewardship?