Truth about Modern Pork Production

See the inside of a modern pork farm and learn how farmers care about animal wellbeing and the environment.

• Category

  Education

[buickwildcat1]

Sorry for the questions and insults hurled at you- you are really doing a great job. Peole are so disconnected from their environment they don't even understand the natural parasites and diseases that hogs can easily pick up from the environment and transfer to them.

[familyfarmer]

Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it.

[Trina Voss]

Your pigs look healthy and clean, and I'm about to order a half a pastured pig, in large part because of your video. "The smaller sows can turn around, but usually don't" doesn't really make me feel better.

[familyfarmer]

That's ok Trina, we don't have to agree all the time.Thanks for asking me the questions-I appreciate it. We used to raise our hogs outdoors and indoors in group pens. Watching the bossy sows attack the less dominate sows was hard on me. especially when they didn't get feed due to the bossy one. Hogs are pretty lazy, we can tell by their body language if they are content or not, our sows are content. Their cortisol levels (stress) are lower in their independent areas too. Thanks again for asking.

[stacie williams]

so these pigs are never allowed outside in the sunshine and fresh air? to root as they would naturally? they are just property?

[familyfarmer]

The pigs access to sunshine through curtains. We protect our hogs from the harsh weather in the winter because today's hogs are leaner and have less body fat to stay warm. They can't sweat so our barns keep them cool in the summers. The barns prevent diseases being tracked from wildlife and predators which make the hogs sick. Our need to treat sick/injured hogs has diminished greatly since we protect their environment from threats. Our pigs see more of us than our kids do most days.

[MissHickorystars]

I have a pot belly that is allowed to roam around our whole property. She decided that her favorite place was a corner in the extension of our horse barn.

[mugs132]

Video is good, but your diligent, respectful responses to these comments are awesome. I'm a bbq pitmaster always looking to learn more about the products I compete with. Thanks so much for sharing. I hope to learn more about heritage breeds...I'm curious to see if these will do better in competition and why.

[MSUequestrian247]

It's also a good way to protect the piglets from the mother since they are so much smaller than her and easily injured. Great video!

[familyfarmer]

The independent maternity pens protect the sows from aggressive sows that like to bully others and prevent them from eating. They also help us protect us, the farmers, when we are working with the sows. We have fewer injuries to the sows and to us using independent maternity pens. Hogs are pretty lazy, as long as they have food and water they are content to lounge around.