How To Find Truffles Without A Dog Or Pig

I'd never considered that. “ Pasturing ” is a loose term that can mean many things, including raising pigs outside on feed and making pigs raise themselves on grass and foraged edibles.

Early on, I made copious use of close-to-the-house land and strung-together extension cords, but upon visiting the farm of a self-professed “lunatic farmer,” my wife and I stood for a long time watching a herd of pigs traverse a piece of forest far...

Bend two cattle panels, side by side, between six T-posts. Over the years, I've purchased my fair share of farm-store pig feeders (all destroyed by curious snouts), cut apart scores of food barrels for makeshift feeders (quickly turned into unusable pig...

I should state up front that we mix our own feed, grower and finisher rations with a slightly different nutritional load. When I was young, I went through a cavalcade of career aspirations, including such lofty goals as artist, stand-up comedian and professional...

Watching pigs run through open sunny pastures or waddle up a forest hill seems so natural. Piglet tails are snipped at an early age, as close quarters and boredom would lead them to chewing otherwise, and sows are kept in metal cages that squeeze the...

Large Blacks stay in production for eight to nine years, which is a highly desirable trait for homesteads. They can be raised on pasture or in semiconfined conditions, and they grow well on a variety of feeds.

On our farm, sows farrow in a dirt-floor barn, which provides piglets access to soil right at birth. But the barn-floor soil, shaded as it is from the sun, doesn't grow grass and plants that break down into a nutrient- and mineral-dense dirt.

While pigs are rooting up invasive plants, breaking down rotting logs and aerating the soil, they're also gobbling down nuts and fruits dropped from the trees. This is where the woven-wire perimeter fence is especially useful.

Hampshires are medium to large, black pigs with a white belt encompassing their front legs. They're large hogs, so they require more room to house than smaller heritage breeds. Spotted hogs are large, fast-maturing, easygoing pigs that produce lean, tasty...

With each subsequent load, we tried something new, settling for a while on a 5 a.m. rise time for an of hour chasing pigs through muddy fields. These pigs knew and trusted us, and we'd surely be able to coax the animals into the trailer without too much...

The lagoons can be smelled miles away and sometimes leak or spill over, contaminating groundwater when they do. Ask your great-grandma what the old-time pastry maker's secret ingredient is, and she'll say lard every time.

If you're able to mist them in the summer, even better. For pigs in confined situations, a strand of wire at shin height in front of the hog paneling will help keep pigs from escaping.

Several vaccines exist for pseudorabies. Piglets younger than 2 weeks old are likely to die. Symptoms in older pigs include coughing, nasal discharge, fever, abortions and reproductive complications.

I find it funny that pigs are mentioned in the list of farm machinery. The jet-engine-like intensity of sound waves pummeling the ears of an attacker could be a life-saving strategy for pig survival.

You can compost it, bury it, or otherwise dispose of it in a manner and location that prevents offensive odors from bothering anyone. This will also make your task of removing manure much easier.

When the time came for our sow to deliver a third time for us, the winter weather hung high in the upper 50s, a sure sign this litter was destined for greatness. Equipped with limited experience, we predicted the due date (pigs gestate for 114 days),...

Consult a veterinarian if any sores or injuries persist. Using an ­approved fly spray will help keep flies from bothering unhealed lesions. Mite infections can be diagnosed via skin scrapings and microscopic examination, skin biopsy or even response...

The hotter it gets, the more important it is to ensure pigs have adequate access to an abundance of fresh, cool water. Too much fiber during the summer can lead to overheating. Stick with materials like galvanized steel, which deflects the sun's rays.

Affected animals can shed the virus for more than a week. Sows that have been exposed to the virus will pass on passive protection to their piglets, which will help protect them during the most susceptible phase of life.

In a grow-out operation, you can plan to send your pigs to processing before winter hits. This usually happens at around 250 pounds. Work with your veterinarian on a deworming program, and rotate pastures appropriately.

They were followed during the 17th century by poor white farmers and people in search of open space and freedom. The fruit is of course the main product but the stems are also sold as.

Control Parasites Our pigs live outdoors and are moved to new land on a regular basis, so parasites aren't typically a problem for us. The first few attempts at bottle-feeding might require you to force the piglet's mouth open.

In the autumn and winter, mast production (the dropping of nuts and seeds from trees) is nature's buffet. Peccaries and javelinas, some of which are native to North America, are easily mistaken for pigs but are in a different family, distantly related...

That's early March from my current position on the calendar, a time of year I know to still be unpredictably cold on my central Kentucky farm. That's just not how we farm, but the semi-open structure, so beneficial in the warmer months when airflow and...

George works to make us laugh, walking alongside the fence line as we do our chores, snorting through his intimidating tusks in response to our every comment and question aimed at him.

And the key term here is “muscle”—if a pig converts feed into excessive fat (i.e., not meat), you'll leave the processor as unhappy as we were. Large Black: There's a lot to love about the Large Black, such as its sunburn immunity and calm disposition,...

These sweeties garner a lot of attention on the farm—and we're not going to lie, you might find our editors secretly Googling pictures of piglets during our lunch breaks. Courtesy Fair Haven Farm Courtesy @thurlow94/via Instagram Courtesy @goatladynikki/via...