Regenerative farming is a conservation and rehabilitation approach to food and farming systems. Integrating pigs into the crop rotation is also an effective way of enhancing soil health,

Kathryn Thompson :: Wednesday 18th January 2023 :: Latest Blog Posts

The Woodland Pig Company is a small-scale, welfare-led farm in North-East Hampshire. The owners, Helen and Matt, are new-entrant farmers who decided to swap lifestyles to pig farming in 2020. They have a strong ethos for their farm based on producing exceptional, native breed, free-range pork, whilst passionately improving pig welfare standards and supporting the environment.

The pigs are free-range and have access to a variety of habitats including orchards, woodland and pasture to enjoy. The pigs are moved regularly and encouraged to exhibit natural foraging behaviours. This plays into the wider farm management of crop rotation and regenerative farming.

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How does regenerative farming play a role at the Woodland Pig Company?

Regenerative farming is a conservation and rehabilitation approach to food and farming systems. Integrating pigs into the crop rotation is also an effective way of enhancing soil health, providing a careful approach to site selection as pigs can also be very destructive on the ground.

Pig manure is an excellent source of crop nutrition. It increases soil organic matter, earthworms and soil micro-organism numbers. It can reduce soil issues, including compaction, soil erosion and nitrogen leaching, which are all very positive and natural.

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How do B&W feeds support the feed management of these pigs?

Despite being excellent foragers, the Saddleback pigs require additional feed to supplement their diet. Previously, the woodland pig company was using a commercial soy-based feed. However, the owners were keen to find an alternative with better aligned with their farm ethos.

B&W Feeds were able to provide the ideal solution through their mobile mill and mix service. This service allows farmers to use homegrown crops to feed their livestock by offering on-farm milling and mixing through a fleet of innovative lorries.

So, at the Woodland Pig Company, the pigs not only follow the crop rotation on the farm. But also consume the crop grown on the very land they clear!

The pigs are fed on a home-grown barley, wheat & micronized pea mix. The barley is grown on the headlands during the spring/summer, and once harvested, B&W feeds mill the barley and create the pig feed mix on their lorries. The grain is used to make the pig feed and the stalk is used to make straw bedding for the pigs. This ensures that the carbon footprint of the farm is kept to a minimum with bedding and food miles being significantly reduced.

Using B&W Feeds mill and mix service has allowed Helen and Matt to move away from soy-based feeds and support their regenerative farming practices.

Using B&W feeds has also helped the Woodland Pig Co. to save money initially from not having to import soya but savings have also been made on bagging, pallets, and delivery fuel surcharges. These cost savings have allowed the Woodland Pig Co. to operate more efficiently and sustainably, which is especially important in today's challenging economic environment.

Overall, the Woodland Pig Co.'s decision to use B&W feeds has been a successful one, as it has allowed them to better control the ingredients their pigs are consuming, reduce their carbon footprint, and save on costs.

A version of this article appeared in Pig World Magazine in February 2023. 

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