Some believe that pigs were the earliest animal to be domesticated, not the cat or dog. Paintings and carvings of pigs over 25,000 years ago have been found. The Chinese domesticated pigs 7,000 years ago, but for Glenn, it all began 51 years ago with a little runt he brought home in his pocket named Barney. He always insisted that I would love a pig for our farm, and when we got our first gilt 15 years ago, I was hooked. Now our pigs are proving to be an integral part of our CIRCLE philosophy.

Choosing to raise our chickens and pigs on pasture was such an intuitive reaction that it never was formed as a question to be discussed, and yet I’ve been asked recently why we are doing it this way. First and foremost, we believe in providing the best quality of life for everything in our care. We are so pleased to receive Animal Welfare Approved certification in recognition of the quality of care we give our animals. It is encouraging to see value finally being placed where it benefits everyone: producer, consumer, and the consumed! This type of management is indisputable on an emotional level and on an intellectual level we can show how the quality of the finished products we offer improves with each step we take to create a more "natural" and nourishing lifestyle. By allowing our animals to forage as they choose on pasture designed to be varied and nutrient rich, they are "happier" (less stressed) and "healthier". There has been so much study and discussion on what we can actually claim in regards to "healthier"; but increasingly studies are beginning to support the old adage "you are what you eat", and when I can choose, I choose to eat foods that my body has evolved to digest and utilize as opposed to synthetic "unknowns" and so does a pig. If you are truly curious about the nutritive advantages of pastured meats and eggs please visit this well prepared article from Mother Earth News and The Sustainable Table.

It is satisfying to watch the pigs out in an environment they are so well suited for. We have divided our semi-forested creekbottom pastures into smaller areas that we can rotate often which helps with control of intestinal parasites and more importantly allows the land time to recover, rebuild and regrow. Our land supplies them with natural shade, wallows, grubs, an array of hickory nuts and acorns, roots and shoots, and we over seed cereal grains in the fescue/clover grassy areas after each rotation. They also enjoy the excess produce from our market garden, except green beans (?), ha. I probably cannot say how much the chickens enjoy the pigs. We have a flock of chickens for each rotation and they work in close association with the pigs, sometimes traveling quite far from the roost, eating spilled and passed grains and doing a more refined insect search in freshly rooted ground. Some hot summer day soon, I expect the pigs will learn to search out the chickens for horsefly control as they already let them do "horsefly patrol" when resting.

We are building a herd based around our Yorkshire sow, Rita, and our registered Tamworth boar, Mr. Moose (Paul Morrisons Excaliber lines), and their daughters. The Tamworth is proving to be as excellent forager as reported and the Yorkshires are as good of mothers as could be; so how lucky are we that this cross is producing excellent carcass quality?

We hope not to raise more than our land can support so we do sell weanlings, both breeding quality and for fat hogs. Also, local restaurants are featuring our some cuts on their menus and reservation of 1/2 hogs for butchering is available. Please contact Rose to discuss possibilities.