Field to Forest: Overwintering Pastured Pigs
During the summer months our pigs are in a satellite pasture at the top of Marble Hill Rd in Waitsfield. Every spring we plant radishes, beets, and peas, and in the fall we plant winter rye throughout the 14 acre pasture. These plants provide fun and nourishing forage for the pigs and also helps improve soil fertility. For the winter months we move the pigs to their overwintering pasture in the forest. Seasonal pasture for the pigs offers several positive outcomes:
1. We let the land rest for half of the year in each location, reducing our overall impact in the feeding area. 50 pigs have a big impact on land, no matter how often they get moved!
2. We protect the pigs from the harsh winter elements by taking them into the sheltered forest, and away from the windy open pasture.
3. We keep winter chores close to home, reducing our need to drive across the valley when weather and road conditions are treacherous.
4. The pigs help open up the understory and fertilize the forest floor. Over time we rotate the section of forest so that no area is over used.
Like all aspects of our farmstead we take a holistic, regenerative approach when preparing the pigs’ winter feeding area. Instead of following common practice of pouring concrete slabs for the pigs to rest on, we put our biproduct resources to use for the pigs and the health of the forest.
We haul the slab wood from our saw mill into the forest. We create a foundation for the feeding area, layering the wood slabs several layers thick over the forest floor. We follow the wood slabs with several truck loads of wood chips, which we distribute evenly over the wood ‘floor’. This helps prevent mud from forming in the feeding area and gives the pigs a place to stay warm and dry all winter long. The mycelia that grow in the woodchips help to decompose the wood into future soil and also provide extra fodder for the pigs who love rooting around in them.
This is one of the many ways we get creative and find solutions for the farm that take into account the health and happiness of the animals, soils, and farmers!