Pigs on Pasture

 Last Thursday morning, the skies opened and released an unnecessary amount of rain on our already flooded farm.  With farming, there either is not enough rain or too much rain.  May has proved to be the latter and we have been fretting over extremely wet and muddy fields, hoping that our crops survive the excess rainfalls.  The rains last week were also not welcomed because Thursday was the day we were getting our pigs!

Despite being a vegetarian for the past 6 or 7 years, I have no problems with caring for these eleven creatures even though in a few months, they will be slaughtered and eaten.  If people want to eat meat, I want to assist in supporting livestock farming where the animals are treated respectfully and are allowed to express their natural instincts in natural environments.  Not only is our meat healthier for you and the environment, everyone raves about how delicious the meat is.  If you haven't had farm fresh food, you are missing out!  Check out Local Harvest to find a small, sustainable farm near you and your taste buds will thank you! 
 

Taylor hitching up the pig trailer to the pick-up truck in the pouring rain.

Solar panel and car battery to power to the electric fence that surrounds the pig pasture.  It may seem cruel that we use a single electric wire sandwiched between two rope strands to keep the pigs in their pasture but it sure beats keeping them crowded inside a "barn" with concrete floors, no mud, no windows, no where for pigs to express their pigness (compare).  The piglets will get zapped once or twice by the electrical wire, squeal & run away, and then go back to rooting up something to eat in the field.  They learn very quickly to stay within the bounds of the simple fencing.  

Nicole setting up the fencing.

Perfect Pig Real Estate: 

Pallet pig house with private pig puddle for mud baths and plenty of green space for exploring.

 Farmer Jeff taking a nap while driving the tractor between pig pastures.

 Wagon selfie!

 

Some of our piggies!  I named the pretty one Scarlet.

Taylor also picked up three pigs for fellow farmer Jess Niederer, owner of Chickadee Creek Farm in Pennington, NJ.  One of the many wonderful benefits of being a farmer in this area is the community.  Many of the farmers know each other and help each other out when possible.  We picked up Jess' three piglets (this will be her first year with pigs) and this week another farmer gave us their left over potato seedlings that they won't be using because we ran out and needed more.  The farming community is strong and supportive of each other and I really appreciate that.

I included this picture because we are all making funny faces as Taylor is shifting a 40 pound 

squirming, squealing piglet from the trailer to the back of Jess' pick-up truck.

The fields were too muddy for the pick-up to drive the pig trailer out to the pasture so we hitched it up to the Kubota....and it still got stuck.  Ugh!  There are 16 pigs in that trailer that need to get out!

I do not have pictures of the rescue but Jeff and Taylor pulled the stuck Kubota out with another tractor.  Here the trailer is backed up to the pig palace.  Five pigs will share this smaller pasture in the u-pick fields so visitors can see the pigs while the majority are kept further away in a larger pasture.

Five piggies in the piggie palace for the first night.  Can you see Scarlet?  The one next to her I named Spot.  What should the other three be named?  (Most farmers do not name their livestock but since I won't be eating them, I figured it'd be ok!)

Eleven piggies.  Well you only see 10 because one is under the pile!

Fresh grass!

We had other exciting events going on at the farm last week such as getting to talk with this group of high school students.  I miss educating so much and this quenched that desire just a little bit.  I probably talked more than was interesting but I just couldn't help it!  I really wanted this young adults to know that knowing where your food comes from isn't just about eating healthy.  It's about creating healthy communities.  If you support a local farm, that farmer then can support the local family-owned hardware store who can then support the local coffee shop who can then support....it's a never ending line of locals supporting locals which then creates a stable, healthy community.  I also wanted to get across to them that loving your work is so important!  Americans spend most of our waking hours with our co-workers at work so of course that time should be spent doing something that inspires you!

We don't need the rain but it sure offered a beautiful photo op!

 The mighty Friday team.  With eleven people, sh*t gets done at the farm!

I am going to become rich and famous when I sell a trillion copies of my song "I Want to Lay You Down in a Bed of Lettuce."  I haven't written the song yet but I can assure you it's going to be great since I can seek help from my Aunt Debbie, singer and songwriter in Nashville.