Pasture Pork v3.0

2025 marks our third year venturing into pasture raised pork raised without corn and soy in the pigs supplemental feed. Based on the reviews from our past customers, we feel there is a definite need to provide this flavorful healthy pasture raised meat for more folks.

Increasing efficiency in our mobile pork process has been our main goal over the past two years. You can read about our first year experience with four pasture pigs in these posts, May 2022 & October 2022. Our original mobile pork pen (2022) was labor intensive but gave great piece of mind that the pigs were contained. After gaining experience with the pigs, we found efficiency by moving eight pigs in 2023 using a single portable poly wire. In the previous two years (2022 & 2023), we hauled all the feed to the pigs using 5 gallon buckets. Five gallon buckets are wonderful and a must in a pasture pig operation. With the increase in the number of pigs, efficiency in feed delivery was our focus in 2024… here is what we came up with.

Mobile Bulk Feed

Our Corn and Soy FREE feed is purchased in bulk “Tote Bags”. In the photo below, we are filling a mobile feed wagon using a front end loader, feed simply flows out of the tote bag.

• Feed wagon is a flared side grain wagon purchased for $300.
• We added a wood frame and steel roofing panels to protect the feed.
• The “roof” has a “door” that is opened to add the feed.
• The feed wagon will hold 4000+ lb. of feed.
• A hydraulic cylinder raises the front of the wagon so feed will flow to the back opening.

More than mobile feed

Animal impact on our pastures is a very important part of our management but vehicle impact on pasture is always kept to a minimum. Rather than pulling the feed wagon with a tractor or pickup truck, that would impact our pastures in a negative way, we invested in a side by side. The side by side is rated to tow 2,000 pounds. In the photo below the side by side is towing the wagon filled with 3,000 lb. of feed. The side by side handled this load well on level ground but struggled on an uphill slope. The side by side has been a great addition for doing a number of other tasks on the farm.

Final setup of the portable feed wagon includes water and shade. In this pasture pig post from 2023, we highlighted how pigs enjoy the forested portions of the pastures and delivery of water with 3/4″ plastic poly pipe. Pigs and trees are great, pigs provide animal impact and trees provide shade! In the photos below, the portable feed wagon serves the important role of providing shade to the pigs. With portable shade, we can move pigs to areas of the pasture that currently does not have trees for shade.

Dispensing feed

If you know anything about pigs, they are extremely curious and NOSEY! How would we be able to get the feed out of the wagon without the pigs basically attacking the operation? This is accomplished with the addition of two wire panels. These panels are easily moved and setup prior to pouring feed. Three 5 gallon buckets are placed under the back door of the wagon. As the door is lifted up, feed flows into the buckets. Any spilled feed will be cleaned up by the pigs when we pick up the panels prior to moving the wagon. The three buckets of feed are easily carried to the three nearby portable feeders.

When the wagon is full, feed readily flows out the back of the wagon. The steel panels prevent the pigs from messing up the process. When feed no longer flows out the back door, we plan to use a scrapper of some kind to reach into the wagon and pull feed out the back door into the buckets. When we can no longer reach the feed, the front of the wagon can be raised with the hydraulic cylinder and feed will be piled up at the back door.

How do we raise the wagon using the hydraulic cylinder without driving a tractor through the pasture?

For an additional $300, we have purchased a 12V DC Hydraulic Pump with the proper fittings. We will bring the pump out in the side by side when needed to raise the front of the feed wagon.

Precision Ag – Mobile Pork Animal Impact

Training our pigs to a single electrified poly wire was key in providing better flexibility in pig moves last year. Moving pigs and feed together, to any portion of our pastures, not relying on trees for shade, should give us increased efficiency and better pasture management opportunities during the 2025 growing season.