Eating grass, digging in the dirt, exploring their pasture, being social – this is how our pigs express their piggyness.
When I watch them out in the fresh air, using their noses to root around, lounging in their wallows, or just hanging out together, I can’t help but smile. It’s one of the biggest differences between how we raise pigs and how pigs are raised in most commercial settings, and it’s obvious.
Their noses are made to dig, their skin can absorb vitamin D, and their bodies are meant to run and frolic (yes, they really do frolic). I think I understood this in theory before we started farming, but after spending time with them, observing them every day, I feel so much more strongly about giving pigs the chance to just be pigs.
“But Don’t Pigs Need to Sweat?”
I've seen a few posts on social media lately, and had a couple of customers ask about whether pork is safe to eat because pigs “don’t sweat” and therefore can’t get rid of toxins.
Here’s the deal: pigs don’t sweat, it’s true. That’s actually why we provide them with a wallow. This helps them cool down and protects their skin from sun exposure. And yes, they really enjoy it.
But sweating isn’t the only way animals manage toxins. Just like you and me, pigs have a liver and kidneys, which do the job of filtering and clearing out what the body doesn’t need. If sweating were the only way to detox, then fish and chickens wouldn’t be safe to eat either, yet they are.
What They Eat Matters
To me, the more important conversation is actually about what pigs are eating.
Pigs raised outdoors on pasture (or in the woods) have a more natural, varied diet, which helps keep the levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in their fat lower than in pigs raised in confinement. They get to express their natural instincts to root and forage, and that impacts both their health and the quality of the meat.
In addition to pasture access, our pigs are fed a non-GMO feed that’s free from corn, soy, and flax (same goes for our chickens). This helps keep PUFA levels even lower, and supports our goal of raising animals in a way that’s both ethical and nourishing.
Why We Do It This Way
We’re working on sharing more info on all of this such as why we feed what we feed, why we care about PUFAs, and why we raise our animals the way we do.
If you're curious to dig deeper, the ladies at Nourish Food Club (U.S.-based) have done a great job laying out the science behind PUFAs and why it matters in the meat we eat. You can check out their work here.