Keeping Pigs in the Loop

Nothing leaves the farm.  That was one of Pap’s maxims.  Pap, the father, grandfather and mentor to a new generation of farmers, worked his family’s farm here in Jefferson County from the 1930's until the present decade.  He was a dairyman, maintaining a herd of prize-winning Jerseys, so of course milk left the farm, but not much else.  Pap's words meant nothing leaves the farm if it can be put to use.  The cow manure stayed to fertilize the hay fields, the hay stayed to feed the livestock.  Anything that could be composted was.  Anything that could be reused went into the shed until it was needed.  It was a closed loop system, just as it had been in his own grandfather’s time.

Here at Green Gate Farm we strive for a closed loop sustainable system.  Like the traditional farms of a century ago, our aim is to raise different kinds of livestock and a variety of crops.  The resulting diversity of products we can grow provides some insurance that if there is a problem in one area, there are other areas that are still productive. 

These various uses of the farm’s land – some for gardens, some for pasturing chickens, some for pasturing pigs, some for hay, and some just resting –  are key to maintaining the health and vitality of the soil itself.   The soil benefits from the activity of animals on pasture.  The shallow scratching of chickens searching for insects and the deeper rooting of pigs help open the soil.  Closing the loop, the manure the pastured animals deposit each day puts back into the field many of the nutrients which had been consumed. (See link below to January 2014  posting on manure.)


                                     

This year we’ve put a lot of energy, both creative and physical, into having more pigs in ‘the loop.’

Thus far, the pigs we’ve raised at Green Gate Farm have fallen into every category – purebred, purebred heritage breed, and crossbred.  A couple came to us half grown and were ‘finished’ here on pasture.  The rest have arrived as weanlings or shoats and have been entirely pasture raised.  Each of them taught us a little more about what kind of pig works best on our pastures.  

The attributes we are looking for in pigs are most pronounced in the older heritage breeds.  Some breeds, like the Poland China and Red Wattle, are well suited to living outdoors all year.  Some, like the Tamworth and Ossabaw Island, are eager and effective foragers.  We particularly like the Gloucestershire Old Spot, a very handsome old English pig which combines all these traits.  And the Old Spot is an even-tempered pig, quite comfortable with a lot of human interaction.   

Intern Maria and friend

The biggest part of incorporating more pigs into the loop is to begin a breeding program, and we want a Gloucestershire Old Spot to be the cornerstone of that enterprise.  Breeding the animals here means we would be able supply our own young pigs to raise, and we would be helping to preserve the genetics of a breed which is on the 'critical' list of endangered heritage livestock breeds.

Gregor at three weeks

So Lars tracked down a fine young weanling boar and named him Gregor, for Gregor Mendel, the father of modern genetics. This little guy will grow to 500 or 600 pounds and will become, it is to be hoped, the founder of a porcine dynasty here at Green Gate Farm.  It will be a while before Gregor's progeny are the pigs you'll find in our pastures, but those future pigs, born here and raised here, will carry forward the great genes of a heritage breed, and will help Green Gate Farm keep closing up that sustainable loop.                

January posting:  http://greengatefarmtable.blogspot.com/2014/01/manure.html

For information on heritage livestock breeds visit: http://www.livestockconservancy.org/