Raising Meat Sustainably: A Case Study for Sustainable Pork
Last week, we said “goodbye” to Kevin Bacon; the pig we’d raised for meat for over a year. He spent his entire time with us in what I’d consider to be nothing short of pig paradise. Each day, he had his fill of produce food scraps from a local grocery store and spent his time soaking up the sunshine and playing to his heart’s content; doing his best to pester the other pigs into a tissy so they’d chase him furiously around the pig yard. He encountered “one bad day” in his life and we did our best to ensure his end was swift and that he was treated with respect.
When people found out that we’d named our meat pig, they’d shake their heads saying it was a mistake to do so. “You’ll get too close to him,” they’d say. However, he was no less a landmate than the rest of the pigs we shared our space with and deserved to be named. Doing so would ensure that we treated him with reverence and admiration and didn’t lose sight of his individual needs. The second you refuse to acknowledge the individual life that exists in an animal destined for human consumption, the easier it is to provide a less than desirable environment and life for said creature.
Debate abounds as to what the most sustainable, ethical diet is. We spent five years of our lives as plant-based eaters because we couldn’t afford ethically and sustainably-raised meat and wanted to gain more hands-on knowledge before choosing meat for our family. As the years on our land progressed, we reveled in the burgeoning ecosystems that had developed here with time and care and saw firsthand, just how connected everything is in our world. Our spent farmland was beginning to heal itself and we were in awe. Simultaneously, I found myself reading countless books on various food and farming-related topics (see reading list below for my favorites) and came to the conclusion that the time had come to begin raising our own meat. The diet we chose for our family was based on the belief that consuming local, sustainably and ethically-raised meat in moderation was the most effective way to nourish our bodies, our land and our environment as a whole.
In the years leading up to our decision, we felt assaulted by the black and white nature of the information found regarding the topic of consuming meat. It was almost impossible to obtain “facts” regarding meat production without being choked by someone’s agenda. No issue is so clear-cut and we became increasingly jaded by the folks that claimed to have it all figured out; spouting off whatever “statistics” were boiled down to reinforce their convictions. We attempted to wade through the murky waters and felt that the only way to truly know if meat could be sustainable was to raise our own and see what happened.
And so, here are the facts on how our meat pig, Kevin Bacon, was raised. We share this in the hopes that it will help shed some unadulterated light on whether meat-eating can be done sustainably and to share the mental processing that went into and the steps taken in raising Kevin.
Background
We purchased Kevin as a castrated male pig, otherwise known as a "barrow", from a local friend’s farm. He was a four way cross (Red Wattle x Mangalitsa x KuneKune x American Guinea) that had been meticulously bred to be the perfect Ohio pasture pig (has the ability to thrive and fatten up on local vegetation alone). He was quite hairy and as such, was well-equipped for the cold bite of Ohio winters. He was 4 months old when we got him and we raised him for 13 months before slaughtering. Below, I will break down the basics of how we fed, watered, sheltered and prevented disease and parasites naturally as well as what we gleaned in harvesting Kevin. I will also share some additional tidbits of information that we’ve picked up along our journey of eating meat once more and raising it ourselves.
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| Kevin on right at 5-months-old and Liza Pignelli on the left |
Food
Are you aware that nearly 50% of produce in the United States is thrown away? That is, 60 million tons of fruits and vegetables sent to the landfill; whose nutrients are literally lost forever! Did you know that most households and businesses that produced food scraps use to have a pig and flock of chickens outside who’d fatten up on the food waste produced? Did you know that most pork and chicken was produced as a byproduct of waste? Both species are omnivores and have digestive systems built for eating whatever they come across. They can turn inedible byproducts of food industries into incredibly nutrient-dense, meat, eggs, and fat for human consumption. That struck me as downright magical and I was inspired with a vision for our sustainable farm’s future...
Two years ago, we partnered with a local grocery store that began saving all their produce scraps for our pigs and chickens to consume. Each week, we pick up approximately 300 gallons of fruit and vegetable scraps that provide 80% of what our pigs and chickens ingest. Up until Kevin was harvested, we had been feeding 6 pigs and 35-45 chickens (we had some chicks come into the picture recently) primarily off of this food waste; supplementing with non-GMO grain-based feed that was grown here in Ohio and was purchased from a feed store only two miles down the road. The grain-based feed purchased was paid for, almost entirely, by selling surplus eggs produced by our flocks of chickens and so the total feed bill is next to nothing for feeding everyone on our land year-round. The lack of financial investment along with their extraordinary ability to turn waste into nourishment for our family made raising pigs and chickens for human consumption a no-brainer.
Turning food-waste into meat, eggs, and fat is what pigs and chickens do best. However, as a culture, we have such a ravenous appetite for animal products that we’ve bastardized the sustainable system that had worked since the dawn of animal husbandry and have taken a drastic, tragic turn. Now, the majority of our farmland is used to grow corn and grains to feed the animals who are kept in horrid conditions and packed much too densely together.
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| Kevin and his landmates enjoying their breakfast |
Water
All of our animals drink harvested rainwater exclusively. Having been plant-based for five years, we had heard a dizzying number of statistics stating how much water was needed to raise animals for meat. What is not mentioned, however, are the specifics of the environment the animals are raised in. For example, in our neck of the woods here in Ohio, we tend to receive 40 inches of rainwater annually. This 40 inches is going to fall on our land regardless of whether animals are being raised for meat here or not. Thus, why not grow a perennial that takes little to no maintenance, thrives off of the annual rainfall, and then can be eaten by an animal that can turn that vegetation into meat, eggs, dairy and fat (check out this video on how raising animals for meat can actually aid in carbon sequestration!)? That makes a great deal of sense to our family but is something rarely discussed in the Great Meat Debate.
Another fact, rarely brought up by plant-based advocates, is that these staggering statistics on water use are taken from commercial feedlots which are raising animals on feed that has taken an exorbitant amount of land and water to produce. Additionally, more water still is used to get rid of the urine and manure produced by these animals who are packed like sardines and given little to no room to move about; standing in their feces day in and day out. Nothing about this is sustainable or resembles how animals were meant to be kept. There is, in fact, another way, but black and white thinking prevails in our culture and only two schools of thought are given air time. Either meat production and consumption is demonized by plant-based folks or pro-meat advocates state that the only way to produce the meat “needed” by the humans of our planet is to continue to raise animals in a feedlot situation; feeding them the grain and corn that is grown in monocultures that are raping our land of fertility and diversity. I believe the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
As far as watering livestock goes, many parts of the world receive adequate rainfall that if carefully collected and managed, can serve to provide all the watering needs for the plants and animals that one chooses to grow and raise.
Shelter
Kevin was housed with two other pigs, Cora and Dirk Piggler, and a flock of chickens. The house that we built for them was constructed with materials salvaged locally; destined for a landfill. The home was built upon a sled that can be pulled about our land with ease by truck or tractor. We used solar-powered electric net fencing that is easily set up and broken down by two people. Kevin and his pals were moved once monthly in order to ensure that they had fresh vegetation to eat and to keep parasites to a minimum. The process from tear-down to set-up of a new living space for the animals takes two hours.
During the summer, their bedding is kept to a minimum as they prefer a mud-packed floor which keeps them cool. When cold weather hits, I pack fresh straw into their house and as it gets packed down from use and mixes with chicken droppings, I add fresh straw on top. As the pile accumulates and the nitrogen from the droppings mixes with the carbon from the bedding, heat is generated which keeps the animals nice and cozy naturally. The pigs snuggle up with one another and the heat rises to the chickens who roost above the pigs. Everyone works together in this beautiful cycle to keep each other snug during harsh winter months.
When warm weather resumes in the spring, we can take the finished compost from the bottom of the bedding pile and spread it on our garden. The rest of the bedding will go into an active compost pile for finishing.
The beauty of moving the animals about with frequency is that their manure is deposited evenly throughout our land and exactly where we want it. Manure is as good as gold and the fact that it is literally flushed at commercial feedlots; polluting our waterways with the medications used to keep these animals alive and/or sprayed raw on crops (again polluting our environment) is a disgrace. If animals are raised humanely and sustainably, the manure can be used to enrich the land beneath the animals’ hooves; growing vegetation to keep the system harmoniously fruitful without need for man-made chemical fertilizers.
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| Kevin, Dirk Piggler and the chicks rooting and pecking about. The electric fencing can be seen in the back of the photo. |
Health
Due to our management style of routinely moving our animals to new ground, we never had to use any commercial de-wormers, antibiotics or other medications to treat Kevin. The only time he was given anything was the in the first couple of days that he come to live on our land. His body was adjusting to a new diet of fruit and vegetable scraps and he had diarrhea as a result. Diarrhea, especially in younger animals, can prove fatal unless treated. Thus, he was given some off-brand Pepto Bismol for 3-4 days and was good to go after that.
Each fall, we pick up damaged pumpkins from a local farm weekly to feed to our pigs. The pumpkin seeds act as a natural de-wormer. This is the only thing we do to de-worm our pigs though there are loads of other natural de-worming techniques out there too. I recently had a fecal test done for our boar who was smaller in stature than the rest of our pigs. Our veterinarian said his worm count was incredibly low and that it looked as though he was a healthy guy by the sample that was received. It turns out he was just a runt, but anyhow, it gave us peace of mind to know that our management style was working well for everyone.
Time
Each day, all of my animal chores take approximately an hour and a half of my day. This hour and a half covers caring for 6 pigs, 35-45 chickens and 2 goats and is split up between morning and evening chores. For Kevin and the landmates he was housed with alone, their care would break down to fifteen minutes a day. Additionally, once a month, Zac and I would move the pigs to new ground. This process, as stated previously, would take a mere two hours of our time.
Slaughtering
We had vacillated between slaughtering Kevin here on our land and taking him to a local butcher to have him processed. Because we only had one pig to harvest, we decided it would be best to process him here on our land. When animals are transported for slaughter, they produce stress hormones which alter the taste of the meat. We had worked hard to raise Kevin with great thought and tenderness over the past year and didn’t want to taint our efforts by causing him undue strain in his final hours.
We loved the idea of giving him is favorite meal and having him slaughtered with as little stress as possible for everyone. With the help of two local butchers who had experience processing pigs, we were able to provide Kevin with a swift end and home-processing. No part of him went to waste. Following is a list of the resources gleaned for our family from Kevin:
- 1 large, 10 lb. ham (the full "ham" would have been much larger, but we cut it down to make it more manageable)
- 5 smaller roasts, 5-8 pounds each
- 12 butterflied pork chops
- 50 pounds of sausage
- 10 pounds of bacon
- 2 tenderloins
- 5 smaller cuts that will be used to flavor vegetables and stews
- 20 pounds of bones, simmered, roasted and then used to make bone broth
- 10 gallons of fat that will be rendered into lard and used for cooking, soap-making and candle-making
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| We used our tractor bucket to hoist Kevin up where his skin was removed and the butchering process could commence. |
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| Cutting out the pork tenderloins. |
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| Our Thanksgiving Ham |
The process of raising Kevin from start to finish was sacred and life-changing. It carried with it, a weight of significance unlike anything I had ever participated in. Having known Kevin, we were careful to waste no part of him and mindful in our day-to-day interactions with him. In stark contrast however, animals raised in fully robotic, automated feedlots are subjected to inhumane treatment, abhorrent conditions and, not surprisingly, rarely see a human face. And as such, waste runs rampant as these animals are just a number and a commodity to be consumed with fervor. These poor creatures are most certainly never scratched tenderly behind the ears or given a bear hug by a 5-year-old. Kevin was a unique, loved individual and as a result, we ensured his life was honored as he would be gracing our bodies and land with nutrients for the next year and in future life-cycles on our land.
After experiencing the process of raising our own meat from start to finish, we are happy to report that meat can be raised sustainably and ethically. Taking such a direct role in raising our own food has enriched our lives immensely and I take great pride in opening our freezer to take stock of available protein in meal planning for the week with the fruit of our labor.
What can you do?
You may be reading this post from a city or suburb somewhere and think that there’s just no possible way you, as one person or family, can make a dent in this seemingly insurmountable obstacle of an issue. I want you to know that you can! We don’t just vote during election season. We cast a vote with each dollar spent. Do a quick Google search or attend a local farmer’s market to find a farmer near you that raises animals ethically and sustainably. Here’s a basic list of questions to ask the farmer if their rearing practices aren’t displayed on their website or signage:
- What do your [insert species of animal here] eat? Pigs and chickens should have fresh pasture to forage, food scraps and/ or high-quality, grain-based (preferably locally-raised) feed. Cows, sheep and goats should be raised on pasture alone and fed little to no grain.
- How much space do your livestock have?
- Do you use any hormones, antibiotics, de-wormers, etc. on your animals? Some antibiotics and de-wormers can be necessary should illness arise; especially for goats. However, the farmer should be able to provide information to support their minimal use.
- Do you raise your animals from birth to slaughter? The reason for this question is that many farmers will purchase animals from other local farms when they’re nearing slaughter weight, feed them for a short duration and then send them to be processed; selling the meat with their farm’s name on it. Unfortunately, this means that you, as the consumer, don’t know exactly what went into raising that animal; especially if they spent the majority of their life being cared for by someone else.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it's the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Mead
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If you're interested in learning more, our sustainable farm will be hosting workshops beginning in 2019 on all manner of topics, including, "Raising Your Own Meat." Be sure to sign up on our website to receive updates on workshops as they come available.
Here are a few of of my favorite books on the topic of food and farming that helped shape our present-day view on meat-eating:
- Meat: A Benign Extravagance by Simon Fairlie- The most comprehensive, well-researched, objective book I've found on the topic of meat-eating
- Folks, This Ain't Normal: A Farmer's Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World by Joel Salatin
- The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food by Dan Barber
- Bringing it to the Table: On Farming and Food by Wendell Berry
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