Explore & Learn
PastureD Poultry
The leading principle in any pastured livestock operation is to move the animals everyday. This way we manage the concentration of their load on the pasture. This gives the grass a reset with a new layer of mulched grass and manure fertilizer. Once the birds move off the area, it is left to recover for months before another species of animal uses that ground, or another year before chickens return to that spot. The animals forage more ravenously with the excitement of being on new ground every day. They get in the habit of a fresh salad bar every morning.
FOREST PIGS OR PASTURED PORK
Managing pigs with Regenerative Agriculture practices includes raising pigs in the forest or pastured pigs. By using electric fence for pigs, forest pork can prove to be a profitable farm enterprise. They key is to not start with breading stock for pastured pork and forest pigs. Start buying in wiener pigs, training piglets to electric fence and raising them on pasture until you harvest bacon and pork chops. Pastured Pigs eat primarily grain at a feed conversion ratio FCR of 3.5lbs feed to 1lbs of finished weight. Forest pigs becomes pastured pork at 6 months or 200lbs live weight.
Regenerative Agriculture
Sustainable would mean maintaining the status quo, not getting worse or better. Now in order to improve lands that have been previously neglected or mistreated through human intervention, Regenerative Agriculture has been developed. The original use of this term is often credited to J.I. Rodale who, along with Wendell Berry, was inspired by the work of British agriculturalist Sir Albert Howard. All three have in common that their life work has been to research, promote and inspire working in harmony with mother nature to grow food while improving the land.
Rotational Grazing
By moving animals across range land or pasture daily, their impact on the land is controlled. Not only does it minimize the negative impact, but Rotational Grazing improves the land using holistic management. Appropriate management increases the positive impact of animals on the land. Rotational Grazing imitates the natural migration of range wildlife. Historically herds of millions of buffalo traveled across the landscape, was this sustainable? Yes, because they were managed and moved by weather, seasonality and their pray in packs of wolves that ensure they were always moving to new ground. Our modern day equivalent to the historic wolves, is mobile electric fence that allows the farmer to move and manage livestock.