Winter Pig Life

Lets tackle another common question today. How do you care for the pigs in the winter?

As I have shared before, I always feel the best way to answer those questions is for you to just see the animals for yourselves rather than a huge written post of all the details although I am going to share some differences about our pork below. Again, since you know your farmer, you get the actual behind the scenes look, that you won't ever find on products in the grocery store.

Now that you saw the pigs, I do want to point out the real difference between our pigs life and say the pork you find in the grocery store raised on factory farm that I didn't highlight in the video. Here are the differences:

• Factory farm pigs, NEVER get to experience the outside. Their entire life from when they are born to when they are mature size is inside a temperature controlled building on concrete floors. That means no sunshine, never experience seasonal weather and fresh air VS. Our pigs always have access to outside, to soak up the sun, get fresh air and have fun playing in seasonal weather (snow, mud, grass)!
• Factory farm pigs never get grass or hay, grubs, and bugs in their diet. They never get to use their nature instinct of rooting with their nose since they are always on concrete VS. Our pigs get access to fresh hay in the winter to eat and can dig in the snow! Then when things thaw out they are able to dig in the ground for grubs and bugs in the dirt.
• Factory farm pigs have a diet of only GMO grains. VS. Our pigs have non-gmo grains as just a portion of their diet
• Factory farm pigs don't get any bedding ever but have to sleep on just the hard concrete. VS. Our pigs get a nice deep bedded area with lots straw that they can play in, burry themselves and stay comfortable.
• Factory farm pigs are bred for quick growth VS. Our pigs are a heritage breed that grow slow and create a quality meat, that you are sure to taste the difference.
• Factory farm pigs are fed growth hormones to promotes quicker growth and fed antibiotics to prevent sickness, since their immune system is weaken from the environment. VS. Our pigs are never fed hormones, antibiotics, or some weird un-natural product since our pigs thrive in their environment.

Ok I think I probably exhausted you with the differences, but there are actually still some more! Haha, but I will save them for another time. We are planning on doing a little tour with our farm partner that does the breeding and farrowing (the process of pigs birthing) of the piglets in the spring when they start to be born. We will explain some of the differences compared to a commercial factory farm.

I am very passionate about this topic and it gets me upset at times how much we are being misled at the grocery stores, where they make the packaging appear like their products were raised ethically on this happy family farm. Please remember the meat industry is monopolized just by a few major meat processors and they have control of these factory farms. They set the pricing and contracts with their farms and tell them how to raise their animals. These farmers not know any better, do what the "industry experts" tell them to do. It is always about producing more product as fast a possible with no goal of quality or listening to the consumer feedback. Well this is another topic for another time, but it is really disappointing the way the farm industry has gone over the last 50 years.

Thanks for watching and reading about our piggies and their life on the farm. We really want them to be happy as possible, that is the end goal. Don't forget, know your farmer, know your food!

Please leave questions or comments below. We love to hear your feedback!