Soil Sisters by Lisa Kivirist

Author:Lisa Kivirist
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781550926026
Publisher: New Society Publishers
Published: 2015-12-18T05:00:00+00:00

But for many of us, when we watch a doe give birth to triplet goats in the middle of the night, any hurdle along the way disappears. For others, biting into our own juicy steak or helping our kids learn responsibility through animal care magnifies the rewards of raising animals.

“If you’re just starting with animals, I recommend getting two feeder pigs,” suggests Deborah Niemann, owner of Antiquity Oaks, a diversified farm operation in Cornell, Illinois. A seasoned homesteading expert, she’s also the author of Homegrown and Handmade, Ecothrifty, and Raising Goats Naturally. “It’s then a six-month commitment till they are ready to slaughter, which isn’t a huge time frame to test the waters and see if pigs are for you. Six month also lets you try out different breeds to find out which temperament is best suited for you.” Keep a sense of farm humor through it all: Niemann names her pigs after celebrity chefs such as Julia Child and Rachel Ray.

Pork remains the biggest meat seller and profit center for Antiquity Oaks. “I raise and sell about twelve American Guinea hogs annually. I like that breed because the pigs are relatively small in size with a hanging weight of about 100 pounds, which is much more manageable for me.” Bigger isn’t always better when it comes to meat production. Niemann sells one whole hog directly to each customer, mostly clientele who live in the city and want sustainably raised meat, but don’t have the freezer space to commit to, say, a Tamworth hog, which will weigh in at about 200 pounds.

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