It’s National Pig Day – a day to celebrate PIGS! We love our heritage Berkshire hogs at Five Marys and work hard to raise pigs on pasture, which is rare, as only 2-3% of the pork that is raised in America is raised on pasture.

For a premium product, we’ve invested heavily in great genetics for our momma pigs and we breed with AI (artificial insemination) or strong boars. Pigs farrow all year long and will often have two litters per year, so there’s no breeding season with pigs and you have to work to ensure successful births all year long.

Most pigs aren’t grazers and wouldn’t get enough nutrition from grass alone, they need a balanced feed ration and require different protein content in their feed depending on which life stage they are in.

Pigs are more similar to humans with a single stomach (unlike cows and sheep who are ruminants with four stomachs and digest grass more efficiently). Pigs are omnivorous and will eat most anything, but we don’t feed them scraps because it’s not the best for consistent growth and quality control.

Another interesting fact is that pigs can’t sweat! They control their temperature by respiration and that is why they love to cool off in the mud!

Brian enjoys raising pigs and appreciates their efficiency. He’s done a great job getting our pig program to where it is – it hasn’t been easy!

Want to learn more!?

We have a whole Ranch School workshop, ‘All About Pigs!’ You’ll find…

• TWO educational video lessons, including a virtual tour where you’ll meet all of our Five Marys Farms pigs.
• “Raising Pigs” entrepreneur activity
• Breed research project template
• A-Z All About Pigs (each letter is a full coloring page!)
• Books lists & extra resources
• … & MORE!

Right now (until March 15!) we are offering a
LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP for $199.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE & REGISTER!

In the meantime, enjoy this free meat map puzzle (another Ranch School activity!) to learn the parts of the pig.