Becky Is At It Again...

...buying pigs, that is.

 

This week she purchased nine feeder pigs from a new friend and pig aficionado located in the adjacent county to the north.  Matt is a good ‘pig’ confidant.

 

Becky committed to selling at the Staunton, Virginia Farmers Market this upcoming season.  She has her beef and lamb to sell, and she wanted to sell her own pork.  Unfortunately, her first litter of piglets (still unborn) will not be ready for marketing.

 

So, she opted, this first selling season to buy some feeder pigs from a trustworthy and local producer, and finish them, fatten them, in order to be able to provide pork as her third meat offering.

 

All meat sold will have to be processed at a USDA-inspected facility.  Becky has her appointments made.  Folks…this is one reason farmers market prices are high - USDA inspected is an added and somewhat unnecessary cost for the small producer.  But, it is the law.

 

Becky is a committed farmer who wants to provide natural, local and exceptional quality meat to her neighbors.

 

She is on the right path to success.

 

Hmmm...which ones do I want?

pigs coming out from the scales one by one

We all went to view her pig purchase possibilities.  Once chosen, they were weighted, paid for, loaded onto the stock trailer and driven back to her farm for unloading.

 

nine pigs waiting to unload at Becky's farm

By this time, late afternoon turned into evening and the unloading took place after dark.

 

 

 

barn lights - notice the lone pig in the barn lot pen

 

 

After a few seconds of roaming around to familiarize themselves with their new facility, those pigs found their feeder and enjoyed a snack.

 

some of the newest arrivals - Home Sweet Home!

 

The next morning, Becky found her new nine pigs spread out all over her barn lot.  A few had managed to get into the pen with the boar and two breeding gilts.  A few had managed to get into the pen with her younger gilts.  Those nine were definitely not shy and made a point to announce to the rest of the resident pigs that they had arrived.

 

Becky…she spent her, up-to-now, well-planned morning separating and dividing pigs - OINK!