043: Pastured Pigs with Troy McClung

When I started planning our move to our new property a couple of years ago I decided pretty early that pigs would probably not be the right fit for our homestead. My main concern is their voracious appetites and that they typically require a lot of purchased feed compared to ruminants like cows and sheep. I loved the idea of raising my own pork, but just didn’t want the feed bill.

Then a friend introduced me to today’s guest Troy McClung. Troy has converted a neglected, trash filled 100 acre property in W. Virginia into a productive and profitable homestead producing, among other things, lumber and pasture raised pork. His ‘Pastured Pig Podcast’ is an amazing resource where he shares his experiences and talks with pastured pork producers of every size and scale.

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

* How he and his wife ended up on their 100 acre property out of a desire to get away and live in peace

* The massive cleanup they had to do on their property which had been used as a dumping ground for the local community

* How after having children and learning more about the modern food system they began their homesteading journey which was about 10 years after moving onto their land

* Their challenges early on making ends meet as they expanded their homesteading efforts as well as started homeschooling their children

* The development of their homestead from providing just the needs of his family to actually farming and providing food for his community

* How pigs came to be the perfect fit for his heavily wooded property

* His advice for how to start with three pigs to start your pig operation

* Some of the accounting and business considerations that helped move them scale up their operations

* How he manages his woodlots to produce usable lumber and leave behind protein producing trees for his pigs

* His advice for those who are looking to pasture pigs without a woodlot on their property

* His current breeds on his homestead which are Tamworth-Large Black mix and Red Wattle

* How important movement and breed choice are in the amount of damage pigs will do to your pasture

* Considerations for getting water to your pastured pigs

* The “Wagon Wheel” concept for a permanent arrangement for pastured pigs

* His reasons why processing on farm is ideal for homesteaders

* Ideas for establishing infrastructure for proper control and movement of pigs

* How important it is to have a plan in place for how to get the pig off the farm when it’s time for processing

* Tips for how to train pigs to electric fencing

Go check out all that Troy is doing at one of the below links.

https://thepasturedpig.com/

https://redtoolhouse.com/

VISIT THE PLANS AND PROVISIONS WEBSITE:

⁠https://plansandprovisions.com⁠

INTRO/OUTRO VOICEOVER PROVIDED BY:

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