February is the month were things start to get into gear for the upcoming farming season. Our
focus this year will be to continue to transition our pig grazing area in our woodlot from thorny
underbrush to a vibrant silvopasture system. Silvopasture is essentially pastureland that incorporates
tree species for a variety of beneficial effects. First the trees provide shade and water retention that the
grasses and animals can make use of. Additionally, many of the tree species we use will be edible so
when we prune the leaves and lower branches the pigs will have additional nutrient-dense forage in
addition to all the goodies they already find in the woods. The pigs have already had a tremendous
positive effect on our woodlot by opening it up, eating or uprooting many undesirable species like wild
rose bushes, and spreading fertility throughout, and we are excited to see how far the beneficial effect
can be taken. We are also taking out many trees (most of which are standing dead Ash killed off by the
Emerald Ash Borer) to open the canopy and dramatically increase the sunlight hitting the forest floor.
This increased sun exposure will allow many grasses and legumes to bloom for the pigs to come through
and eat.
Our silvopasture system will also attract a much more diverse array of insects, birds, and other
animals into our pastures which will all have their own beneficial impacts. As the system improves it will
inevitably augment the already spectacular quality of our pork and eventually, as the grasses become
truly established and perennial, we can run cows in the woods ahead of the pigs to increase the diversity
and quality of our farm even further!
2023 will also be our first year running workshops designed to educate farmers (or would-be
farmers) on additional options for running small-scale profitable operations within their communities.
Not everyone working a traditional job thinks they can raise, process, and sell meat but that is not
necessarily true. While we do have 12 acres here on the farm, we use less than half to run our current
operation and we believe that many others could replicate what we do. If you are interested in coming
out to see how we do what we do, or if you know someone else that may be interested, please have
them email us at skylinepastures@gmail.com or give us a call and we can set up a tour.
As always, thank you for your patronage and of course thank you for reading these updates!
They arrived on the farm on May 1st, as 1 month old piglets. CJ and a friend had worked hard to prepare the pigpen and the woodlot before they arrived. The pigpen was set up with 2 strands of hot wire on the inside and hog panels on the outside. The hog panels were needed since these piglets were not trained on hot wire. They had to be trained to respect the wire before letting them loose in the woodlot.
Their Home Base has everything they need.
We released the pigs into the pigpen, and they explored their new environment. They made adorable little pig piles, all huddled up together. They panicked if you made any sudden movements, and it would send them all scattering. I wanted the pigs to be comfortable with me since I would be the one taking care of them during the day. I stayed in the pen with them for quite a while and was finally able to pet them provided I moved so incredibly slow that it was undetectable by human or pig eyesight. Anything faster and they would scatter in all directions screaming!
They learned that the hot wire meant business quickly and respected it from that moment forward. CJ and his father built an automatic feeder for them. It consists of a barrel filled with feed and a wooden bottom with two sides. There is a lid on each side that the pigs can lift with their noses and access the feed whenever they want and keep the feed dry when they are out foraging. CJ also made an automatic waterer, which is a barrel with 3 pig nipples attached, so that the pigs have access whenever they want, and the water stays contained. I thought it might take them a while to learn how to use them, but they figured it out the first day all on their own. CJ built them a shelter out of pallets, with the help of our daughters’ constant criticism. He then had to do a little more work to bring it up to the farm’s official Critic and Efficiency Expert’s (that is me) standards. I think the pigs might even be worse critics as it took them a couple of days before they would use it. They use it every night now, so they seem to be enjoying it!
The pigs spent about 8 days contained in the pigpen to train them to know where “home” was and get used to the new environment. During this time, I needed to train these little guys to come to me when I called them. First, they needed to be comfortable with me being near the pen. I pulled up a chair and just sat next to the pen for a while. I talked to them and just let them get used to my voice and my presence. I did this for at least a couple of days. Then it was time for the good stuff. A little positive training with treats! You will never meet a more food motivated animal than a pig! I also needed to use a certain call that the pigs would know meant “Come home now”! It could not be something they could possibly hear any other time. I struggled to think of a special pig call and finally settled on the tried and true “Sooey”. I called upon my good ole southern roots and let out a loud “Soooeeey” that would have made Uncle Shorty proud and threw some treats into the pen. This promptly scared the living daylights out of the pigs, and they went running wild. I am pretty sure in the excitement, that I hit one of the pigs in the forehead with a treat and it stuck there, sending him into even more of a panic. Eventually they calmed down and noticed the treats. We started off with less decibels after that and kept at it. I spent a good long while walking to different locations around the pen calling out and throwing more treats. They learned what the call meant, and, in the end, they would come running every time.
It was time to let them loose in the woodlot. The woodlot is about a quarter of an acre. It started off with two strands of hot wire surrounding the whole lot. However, my constant paranoia of them escaping finally infected CJ as well and he installed a third wire, just to be sure. The lot is full of trees for shade and rubbing, brush, greenery to forage on, and a natural spring for them to enjoy. We released them on the 8th day. I fully expected them to go running wild. However, they surprised me. They knew that the hot wire had been there previously and still respected that boundary. They had no interest in going any further than the wire had allowed. Eventually one of them began munching and accidently went further than where the wire had been. Gradually the others followed. Once they found the green stuff, they were off! They did not run wild though; they simply ate their way forward. Nothing green stood a chance! In about 20 minutes they had cleared/rooted up a considerable portion! They knew what the hot wire was and respected it well. We had no issues with them escaping.
These guys love rooting up the woods!
Since then, they have explored the whole of the woodlot. A walk around will show signs of their rooting everywhere. They have found the natural spring and thoroughly enjoy playing in the mud. They love to run, play, and forage in the woods. Sometimes, they like to hide from us and make us panic just a little. They like to taunt Jasper by hanging out near his pasture. The pigs know Jasper is not fond of them and if they come near his pasture, he will bray very loudly at them. I do not think they care what Jasper thinks though and continue to taunt him. They are still sensitive to sudden movements. If you come up on them unexpectedly it will send them running. However, once they realize you are not harming them in any way they will relax. The pig call is working beautifully. They can be in the woods, hidden, and if they hear that “Sooey” call, they come running expecting treats.
There have not been any adventures so far with these guys and no one has tried to eat me, yet. They have bitten me a couple times, not aggressively though. Once was because I tried to pet them while my hands still smelled like treats (lesson learned). The second occurrence was the first time I went in the pen alone. I was filling up the waterer and they were curious. I admit to being a little worried at first when they all lined up and began slowly advancing towards me all at once. One sniffed my boot and tried to sample it (another lesson learned: always wear my farm boots in the pen). The panicked nature of these guys is a good thing however, and one loud sudden noise from me stopped them from biting my feet and sent them back into the woods.
All in all, they are doing so well and loving their new life here on the farm where they can free range, forage, play in the mud, taunt the donkey, and sleep peacefully in their adorable pig piles!
