Pig talk.
This is a post from the archives of the “On Butter Hill” Substack newsletter. In an effort to streamline our online presence, I will be reposting our Substack posts here on our blog while gradually dissolving our posts there.
Writing on this platform, so far, has been a cool drink of water for me in the fiery inferno of the interwebs. I simply do not care who sees what I write, or that what I’m writing will “resonate” or “hit”. Whatever, man. So that’s why today, I’m writing about pigs. We’re going to take a little break from the hard-hitting creative pieces while I share with you a brain dump of information about my aim for our small pig herd.
I remember the day that subsistence farming “clicked” for me...having been introduced to a couple who at the time lived in relative obscurity, unadulterated by an internet presence (in that, they had none), Shawn and Beth Dougherty. They have now gained a little steam in the homesteading world, having written a book, and really expanded their speaking engagements. I came across a video of Beth walking through some of their pastures, speaking about dairy cows and their allure. She said something along the lines of, “there is no such thing as too many cows, just too few pigs.” Of course, this was very much in jest, as the couple belabors the woes of being overstocked on the farm. The point is, pigs solve a “problem” many family cow keepers have, and not only that, they turn the problem into bacon! The problem: excess milk.
The closed loop farm looks like this: the cows eat the grass and forage (your solar harvest), the pigs eat what the cows leave plus the extra milk, the manure from both fertilize the land and generate a more productive solar harvest in seasons to come. It all sounds rather idyllic. Of course there are gaps to fill. A cow must be genetically predisposed to keeping herself healthy on a grass only diet (not to mention standing for you in the stanchion without grain…good luck!). And what about dry spells, but the pigs aren’t ready to butcher yet? Nothing can be straightforward or dogmatic on the subsistence farm. There will be, in today’s day and age, off farm inputs. Grain and feed must be bought, pastures seeded, animals bred one way or another…but the concept of feeding the farm from the farm that the Doughertys opened to me has been one I’ve been unable to shake since, and a goal post to aim for in my farm pursuits.
The homesteader movement is odd, a culmination of many things, I think. I’ve been doing some reading from various voices who farm on a small scale, but don’t find alignment with the homesteading movement and I am right there with them. I’m not at all anti-homesteading, there are just some strange nuances that come along with it, one in particular being the “prepper” mentality. Homesteader I may be, but “prepper" I definitely am NOT. The biggest motivator for me to farm on a family/subsistence scale is food quality and novelty. If I can grow beautiful, even rare foods myself that pack a punch nutritionally, then I will. And primarily because I enjoy it. I realize this is a huge privilege and that privilege in and of itself is a different conversation entirely. I am certainly not doing it to save money. But I do try to cut costs where it is reasonable to do so. My entire point in saying all of this is: the fastest, most bang-for-your-buck production is not my goal. So when assessing what to bring on my farm, I really don’t consider highest production to be a factor. This is why KuneKune (cooney cooney) pigs work well for me. If you happen to be of the inclination that efficiency is the only way forward, KuneKune pigs will leave you sorely disappointed. I’ve seen a big movement away from the KuneKune in the homesteading world for this reason, in favor of mixes or a more conventional breed altogether.
A year ago, right around this time, we brought home our first KuneKune pigs. To say I have fallen head over heels for them is an understatement. This is coming from someone who ten years ago would have laughed at the proposition of such a pig being utilized for pork. And I don’t mean any of this in an “I love them as a pet” sense…as many folks, upon seeing them, confuse them with potbellies. I mean it more in the sense of a true appreciation for the genetics that have been developed to create a breed so docile and personable, so gentle on the land and to each other, so unique in the product they ultimately provide. I just can’t speak highly enough about them.
One of the huge challenges with a pig like the KuneKune is finding a butcher who will treat their carcass in a way that is honoring to what they have to offer. They are a heritage lard pig, whose diet consists primarily of forage legumes and grasses. There is a huge advocacy and education piece as the farmer raising these pigs for pork, as I ultimately plan to do. Most butchers will see such an animal and make the entire thing into sausage, out of a lack of interest in learning what suits them best. Truthfully, KuneKune can make some of the most delicious fresh cuts available, unique in their deep coloring and heavy marbling. I had a meat science professor in college who always used to say “fat is flavor”.
We still have a long journey ahead of us until we arrive at the point of butchering meat animals and ultimately, hopefully, making a little money doing this thing that we love. Right now, my big focus has been setting a solid foundation with quality breeding stock that I’m happy with. We will be breeding our three gilts (young females) over the course of the next several months, and their babies will be the start of our meat herd. We will grow our meat herd to about 12-14 months of age to be processed. I have been spending so much time absorbing as much information as possible and figuring out how to cover costs in order to do this in the most legitimate way I can.
This has been nothing if not a crucible of patience and learning to do things the slow way. The true antithesis of fast food. Many people would not consider what we do with our pigs “worth it”, but how are we attributing worth? To me, to create something I am passionate about, something unique and superior to offer the world, regardless of profitability…to do something just for the sake of joy, is a worthwhile endeavor. This may not be a worthwhile venture for just anyone or for every family looking to grow their own food, but as a recovering entrepreneur and an instant gratification junkie, this journey has been and will continue to be a much needed and appreciated one. What is farming for otherwise, than to sanctify the soul?
Until next time,
Lauren
