Pigs in pasture are good for your health!

Have you every had the pleasure of pasturing a pig? Their enthusiasm is contagious. And it’s great to watch them eating thistle and other highly nutritious but often-avoided greens.

The secret is to limit the time they are in the fields. This keeps them grazing only and avoids overly disturbing the pasture. Some disturbance is desirable, though, as it opens up space for a diversity of plants that bring a wider range of nutrients. The more nutrition our livestock consumes, the more nutritious the meat is for us.

You can tell that these “Irish grazers,” the Tamworth breed, enjoy the diet that they find outdoors. They are a vigorous breed that thrives in the Pacific Northwest climate.

Yesterday we moved some pigs from their outdoor pens to pens inside the high tunnels. Watch their energy as they head that way. They knew exactly where they were going, so pasturing them was easy.