Girl Gone Wild & Other Short Farm Stories

It has been eventful around here, as it always is, really. The pigs like to keep it real. Crops are rotating, animals are rotating. Market has begun and we're ready for upcoming transitions.

Photo by Emily

Girl Gone Wild

When raising piglets we aim to wean them at the age of 6-8 weeks. At six weeks everyone was looking good and the time was opportune. We want to do this so the mom's can recover, as it gets harder on them as the piglets grow, as well as to get piglets ready for sale. Suzy and Elsa had already begun to self-wean, as they were nursing less. So, grab the new trailer, mom's hopped in and we were good to go! They moved across the farm for observation for a few days, before moving to the orchard. That evenings air was full of squeals on either end of the farm - babes looking for milk and mom's missing their babies - it wrenches at the heartstrings a bit for 2-3 days.

Morning came around, time for chores and what did John find?! Vera, our elder sow and amazing mother, had magically appeared back with the youth. Begin weaning attempt number two! Plan A was to load her in the trailer, as we had the day prior. (We also had a plan B & C.) Set up the trailer, open the doors, all the piglets piled in while Vera watched, so we proceeded to plan D - walk Vera back to the other pasture. John led with the feed bucket and I trailed to encourage movement. In the end we reunited Vera with the other ladies, but it was a very lazy, zigzag sort of walk over there. Vera found some grass and alfalfa to snack on along the way, she did not like the smell of my mint. A video of the event would have been pretty funny.

Crops Rotating

It's a time of transition as we dig in to harvesting summer crops, as well as planting fall crops. The peas are beginning to wane, as they are lovers of springs cool and struggle with summer's heat. Garlic scapes will be gone this week - we will look forward to seeing them, along with strawberries, again next spring. Summer squash and cucumbers begin coming into abundance, the first tomato is showing an early blush and green peppers are bulking on their plants. Green beans will begin this week. Fall beets and carrots are seeded. Fall broccoli and cabbage will go in the ground this week. Winter squash, stars of fall bounty, are blooming heavily with promise of a good crop. Garlic and shallots are drying down and harvest will begin soon. Early potatoes are being dug.

Elsa dining on fallen apples.

Animals Rotating

The past weekend was a rotation weekend, with each of our three groups of pigs moving to fresh grass. The sows have moved out to the orchard, for a couple weeks, to take a well-deserved vacation. They are napping in the shade of apple trees, cleaning up the dropped apples, which serves as organic pest management for us. 

Girls at the orchard.

Cleaning up dropped apples is important for
breaking the pest cycle and reducing pests in the orchard system.

The piglets transitioned to their next pasture, which also offers them greater shade for this time of year. Sir Renfred shifted to his next block of pasture, soon we will see about trialing integrating him with the young feeder pigs to have some company. Renfred hit the electric fence the morning we moved him - poor buddy, I heard him yelp and a few minutes later went to check on him. He had gone through the fence (their natural instinct is to run forward, we train them to go backwards) and wandered around the house, then over to the pig barn. I grabbed a corn cob, stuck it in front of his nose, talked to him and walked him back home. We are grateful that we have such a wonderful pig!

Sir Renfred in the tall forage of his new pasture.

More Weekend Shenanigans

Farmers' Market started up for us on Saturday. Peas, cabbage, carrots, beets, garlic scapes, greens, wax beans, herbs, summer squash and celery filled our tables. The new location at Target is very nice, we are thrilled about the 'upgrade'. We will have much of that same produce again this Saturday. 

The jeep is always a bit like a clown car when we head to market -
we sure can fit a lot in there! (Not taken while driving Mom.

Market rolled right into a lunch and farm tour back at the homestead. Alternative Roots was one stop along the way for a field day on Prairies, Pollinators and Production, hosted by the Minnesota Master Naturalist program, UMN Extension and the MN DNR. Local chef at Lola - An American Bistro, and CSA member, Lacey Leuth put together a wonderful lunch featuring locally sourced foods, some from our farm. John, a Master Naturalist himself, led the tour of our farm, talking about how bees are important for us and how we work to create habitat for native bees.

Locally sourced picnic lunch on the farm.

Spring onions for the lunch.

Box o' beets for the lunch.

Transitions

We begin saying farewell to piglets, as they move off to their new farms. A handful will remain with us to grow out for pork. We are coming up on an exciting (slightly scary !?! lol) human transition - the farm teen is getting ready for her drivers test!! Eek! Speaking of the farm teen, she took charge of the camera the other day and here are some of the results below, as well as the piglet photo above...

Tall pasture grasses and Brooke wheel hoeing in the vegetable field.

John weeding the 100 young apple trees in the nursery bed. Pasture on the right,
vegetable field to the left, native prairie behind.

Piglets!

Photo Update 4.13.14

The pictures just get more exciting as time goes on! Here's some pics from around the farm and one must-read article.

Article: Why You Should be Skeptical of Walmart's Cheap Organic Food

If you have a bee house make sure you clean it before setting it out for our friendly native pollinators. Want to build one of your own? Check out the Mason Bee House Project.

Mason bee house tucked in the lilac bush. We want
to promote these native pollinators as much as possible.

 This little house is in the kitchen garden, providing a cute backdrop to these lovely prairie onions. I hope to see more pop up this year and I sprinkled some of the seeds out in our native prairie buffer.

Prairie onions in the kitchen garden.

 The tree swallows are back nesting in the bird boxes on the property line and in the large silver maple we have seen the wood ducks two times now! Hopefully they will stay :)

Nesting boxes are part of our effort to provide wildlife habitat
and conservation practices.

 Also in the kitchen garden the chives are making a strong comeback. That's a nice little clump of Autumn Joy sedum coming up too.

Green in the kitchen garden.

 The pasture from last season was tilled and seeded over the weekend. We used a pasture mix, which we added a legume to. The pasture will be expanded beyond this and maintained as permanent pasture from here on out.

New pasture seeding.

John is finishing up work on the farrowing (birthing) hut for the pigs, which is made out of up-cycled lumber.

Farrowing hut.

The rhubarb is coming up! It is a welcome sight in the vegetable field. This will be the first year  of harvest for the rhubarb. These Glaskins Perpetual rhubarb plants were nurtured from seed, so we could have an heirloom variety of our choosing on the farm.

Rhubarb, a welcome sight in spring.

 Strawberries are another perennial we will be harvesting for the first time this year! There are many greening plants in the bed.

Sparkle heirloom strawberries.

 A third new perennial - bunching onions! These Evergreen Hardy bunching onions were a great addition and we have Ishikura variety in the kitchen garden looking equally as hardy. Sweet.

Perennial bunching onions.

A look at the vegetable field from up a tree! The soil is getting closer to ready every day. We can now walk in the field without sinking. Soon we'll be tilling and marking out the beds. I am ready any day!

Vegetable field April 11, 2014

The seed starting station is starting to fill up! We're looking to complete the green house when the transplants start overflowing the basement ;)

Tomato seedlings.

On Raising Our Own Meat

The arrival of pigs on the farm again completes the full cycle of our first experience raising our own meat. As I see it, the cycle didn't end with the trip to the butcher shop, or the first pork chop dinner, but with the return of live pigs, full knowing what lies at the end of their long and joyful road. Last February we had welcomed our first herd to the farm, they were intertwined with our daily lives until harvest at the end of October. There is no question, John and I both agree that it was one of the most amazing and meaningful experiences in our lives.

Our 2013 herd, 7-mo. old feeder piglets. Daisy, Lauren, Jaymey,
Yoda and Oliver were raised with much love, open air and freedom (and many, many apples).

Before the end of the season we knew we wanted pigs again this year--the farm will no longer feel complete without animals, pigs in particular. There were difficult times, especially at the end. Tears were shed, more than once. No regrets were had, ever. And the meat? Amazing. The first pork chop dinner John made with our homegrown, pastured meat was delicious--we high-fived each other three times during that meal.

Pigs are affectionate, social, lovable creatures.

While raising our own meat was the main intention for this venture there were other benefits as well. We wanted to grow our own meat, because we would know exactly how it was raised--humanely, in the fresh air, no hormones and the freedom to live as the animals that they are. It is just wrong to raise animals in confinement barns, better called concentration camps, it's unnatural, unhealthy for the animals and people who consume them, and bad for the environment.

Pigs on green grass, the way it's supposed to be.

The pigs provided another benefit by closing the loop on the farm. By this I refer to a cycle of nutrients and a reduction in waste. Extra, bad and damaged produce, thinnings and trimmings went to the hogs, whom received them happily. Their bedding, which contains some manure, is applied to the field at the end of the season--adding organic matter and nutrients back to the soil. Last year they were put out on the barley field, after harvest, to clean up grain and spread their manure.

Those lucky hogs also had tickets to an unlimited apple buffet. The other main reason we decided to try pigs (aside from meat production) was for pest management at the apple orchard. Cleaning up the fallen apples at the orchard disrupts the pest cycle--extremely important in organic production. The pigs spent two weeks at the orchard in 2013 assisting in pest management. A couple trailer loads of apples were also brought back to the farm for them. Now, not only are we removing the downed apples, but we are able to make good use of them too. And the pigs were happy to help.

The piggies helped me with a Schell's photo contest.

The pigs brought therapeutic benefit--providing stress relief, affection and connection. Even in the middle of the hardest work, or the beating heat of summer a visit with the pigs would lift spirits and invite laughter. Every day we could watch them on pasture, which was a clear picture of the difference we are making in our little corner of the world. The pigs loved belly rubs and it was not uncommon to go in their pasture only to have two or three of them flop down around you for their turn. As soon as we went out to work in the morning we would wait to hear those first oinks of the day, and they always brought a smile.

The pigs grown and ready for harvest.

Having the pigs on the farm became the best way to get Emily, our teenager, involved. Although she wanted nothing to do with vegetables and weeds, bringing animals to the farm created a connection with her. This is a sure way that she will be outside each and every day, nurturing the pigs, and now chickens as well. That alone is worth so much. She now regularly takes her favored chicken, Bonita, for "walks" and has introduced her to the new piggies.

Vera and Lilly settling into their new digs.

Enter Vera and Lilly. We are already madly in love with these ladies. They have wonderful dispositions, they are playful and affectionate. The girls are sisters, two years old and a mix of 75% Ossabaw Island and 25% North American Guinea Hog, both smaller, heritage breeds. They were bred to Professor Beefcake in February and should farrow (give birth) this June. What exciting times we have ahead of us!

Lilly and Vera saying hello to the camera.

As we tend to and grow our herd we strive to give them the absolute best possible lives they could have, and we take pride in doing so. It is challenging work tending animals--they are live, active beings that are much different that kale and tomato plants (and tomatoes just aren't as playful). The experience of raising our own meat has been, and continues to be highly rewarding and invigorating. Being able to care for these precious animals is a gift. Putting nutritious and healthy meat in the freezer is a blessing for our family. Educating our community by sharing our story is invaluable. 

For videos of the pigs, and other farm happenings, head over to our new YouTube channel.

Don't forget to follow us on facebook, there are sure to be regular piggie pictures.

Greener Pastures

Brooke's family came out to the farm this past week and we moved the pigs to new pasture. Here's a photo documentary of the event :)

 First we gave them some wheat nibbles to put them in their shed.

Then Jeff, Sarah and Tyler helped to take down the electric fence string. Everyone helped to move the posts, which are easy step-in plastic posts.

With the fence posts moved John hooked mom's vehicle up to the shed to move it. (I think this is probably the first time she has ever towed anything!)

This spot will provide them some nice shade in these hot days! Unfortunately we weren't completely on top of planning, as we had mowed the area a few days prior, but this time of year is nice because they also start getting garden scraps! We also cut other forages and feed them that as well, because they love it and we love them :)

Moving the shed forward into the new pasture area. On the right you can see their first pasture growing up with a hog pasture mix, this is where they will go back to next. We will also seed the 2nd pasture area to this lush mix.

Jeff peeking in on the pigs--time to put the string back up!

 The pigs loving their new digs! They also love spilling their water, as you can see one of them laying on the water tub. After they created a little rut (which didn't take long), we gave them a nice little mud hole :)

Hooray for nice green grass and shade!

Lined up for dinner! Those are some happy pastured pigs.