Winter Pig Life

written by

posted on

February 21, 2021

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!

"Air-chilled" chicken: another marketing gimmick?

Air-Chilled vs. Water-Chilled: The Truth About Chicken Processing, PAA, and What Really Matters As consumers become more educated about food quality, one topic has begun circulating online in the health space: air-chilled chicken. New marketing language like “air-chilled” is showing up on grocery store packaging everywhere. While the intention behind asking these questions is often good, the conversation has become oversimplified from our point of view. At Wanda Farms, we believe transparency matters more than trends. Our chicken is water-chilled using a USDA-inspected cold water system with a peracetic acid (PAA) antimicrobial rinse. (We aren’t trying to hide anything.) However, when you keep reading, you'll learn why the air-chilled label has taken off, what actually impacts food safety and quality, and how we’re thinking about processing decisions with research instead of just chasing the latest marketing claim. Why Air-Chilled Debate Exploded The last several years, there’s been a growing push toward “air-chilled” poultry showing up at higher-end grocery stores and specialty butchers. Shoppers see the word on a package next to a premium price tag, and it’s easy to assume it means cleaner, safer, or healthier chicken. Consumers, as they should be, are mainly concerned about how their food is processed. “Air-chilled” feels like a shortcut to less-processed, more natural chicken, especially compared to a method that involves a “chemical rinse.” But removing water immersion from the process does not automatically create a safer or healthier bird. PAA: The First Line in Food Safety One of the most common concerns surrounding water-chilled chicken is the antimicrobial rinse itself. That concern is understandable. Nobody wants to feel like their food was doused in chemicals. That said, here’s what’s actually true: PAA (peracetic acid) is effectively a combination of vinegar and peroxide, breaking down into acetic acid, oxygen, and water residue. It’s USDA-approved and used at tightly controlled, low concentrations. It’s USDA Certified Organic-compliant, which is why it can be used at our Certified Organic processing facility. It’s one of the most common tools in U.S. poultry processing for reducing Salmonella and Campylobacter loads. This distinction matters far more than simply choosing air over water. Understanding what PAA actually is, and why it’s there, eliminates a lot of the chemical and environmental concern consumers associate with the word “rinse,” while still allowing our processor to meet strict food safety standards. (FYI: we only use USDA-inspected processors, always.) The Real Issue: Air-Chilled ≠ Automatically Safer Much of the air-chilled preference stems from a legitimate texture and quality discussion, not necessarily a food safety one. What Air Chilling Actually Changes Air-chilled birds are cooled with circulating cold air instead of being submerged in a communal chill tank. This typically means: Less retained water, so less purge in the packageBetter browning and skin crisping when cookedLess cross-bird contact during chilling All legitimate, real differences. Air-Chilled Is Not the Enemy: The Framing Is. There’s a growing misconception online that air-chilled is inherently “cleaner” or “safer,” and that water-chilled means “contaminated.” That’s not supported by the facts. Air-chilled birds still receive an antimicrobial intervention, typically a cold mist spray that includes an antimicrobial, and many air-chill plants also use PAA earlier in the process, before the chill step. Federal regulation doesn’t explicitly require an antimicrobial rinse, but it does require Salmonella testing, and to our processor’s knowledge, an antimicrobial step is effectively the only way to reliably pass that testing. In a report on poultry processing*, Encyclopedia Britannica also notes an important nuance about water immersion chilling: while it can create cross-contact opportunities between birds, the combination of the wash effect plus the antimicrobial treatment can actually reduce total bacterial load across the batch. The real question isn’t “air vs. water.” It’s whether the processor’s food safety program is doing its job. And both methods, done correctly, can be effective. *Link to report by Encyclopedia Britannica Why We Haven’t Switched to Air-Chilled We understand why customers are asking these deeper questions. We’ve been asking them too. Here’s where we’ve landed, and why: We aren’t the processor. Wanda Farms doesn’t control chilling method—our USDA-inspected processing partner does. To this day, I don’t know of any poultry processors in the Midwest that offer air chilling. If one did, we’d absolutely consider switching, but it’s not currently on the table.Water alone, without an antimicrobial, would concern me more. Chilling in plain water without PAA would hold bacteria rather than reduce it. The antimicrobial rinse is required by our USDA facility specifically to reduce the Salmonella load present on the bird.Air-chilled isn’t automatically “chemical-free” either. As noted above, most air-chill operations still apply an antimicrobial at some point in the process. It’s just applied differently.Sourcing and scale. Air-chilling requires more space, more energy, and reduces processor yield due to moisture loss, which is part of why it’s harder to find at the scale a small Midwest farm like ours needs. Where We Focus Instead Rather than chasing a chilling-method label, we put our energy into the things we believe actually move the needle on quality and integrity: Raising chickens on pastureRotational grazing practicesNon-GMO feedNo antibiotics or added hormonesHumane, low-stress handlingNutrient-dense food raised with integrity Our processor uses the PAA water-chill method because, alongside meeting food safety standards, they’ve found it helps maintain the flavor, juiciness, and texture our customers consistently tell us they love. Your Farmer’s Final Thoughts I think this air-chilled vs. water-chilled conversation is a lot like the no-corn, no-soy conversation we wrote about. A real concern, with some real substance to it, that’s gotten oversimplified into a single word on a package standing in for “better.” Salmonella occurs naturally in chickens and doesn’t affect them the way it affects us. It’s a human food-safety concern, not an animal-welfare one, and it’s why processors, air-chilled or water-chilled, treat for it. Properly cooked, handled without cross-contamination in your kitchen, it’s a non-issue either way. I don’t want to chase a marketing label just to capture market share. I’d rather be straight with you about how our chicken is actually processed, why, and keep our focus on the parts of the process we do control: how the birds are raised. Pasture access, rotational grazing, non-GMO feed, humane handling, and nutrient-dense food raised with integrity. That’s the standard we hold ourselves to at Wanda Farms. We’re always happy to be transparent about our process and answer any other questions you may have. Hope this helps.

A Father's Belief

Rest in Peace Tom Wanda “My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person: He believed in me.” - Jim Valvano

No Corn, No Soy: What's the buzz?

New marketing labels like “no corn, no soy” are show up. What's the big deal and should you care? We dive into full transparency and education on the subject matter and where we, Wanda Farms stand.

SPECIAL CHICKEN DEALS END AUG 31st. Stock up on Chicken today!

Winter Pig Life

More from the blog

"Air-chilled" chicken: another marketing gimmick?

A Father's Belief

No Corn, No Soy: What's the buzz?

ABOUT

LEARN

ACCOUNT

Wanda Farms LLC

Updates from the farm