014 - Mechanical Contracting to Hog Farmer. The Business of Raising Pastured Hogs on 90 Acres.

John Backes of Circle B Ranch joins me to talk about raising pastured hogs on 90 acres in Missouri. John didn't come from a farming background. He transitioned into farming in 2009 with his wife Marina after leaving a career in mechanical contracting. They set out to produce high quality food while focusing on the welfare and humane treatment of their hogs.

Key Takeaways from this Episode:

-Be steadfast with pricing. Stay away from brokers, sale barns, and commodity pricing.-Stresses the importance of educating and connecting with the customer base. That involves a lot of marketing your own product through tools like social media.

-Pick a spouse that is a good compliment to your skills as a farm. It’s a team effort.

-Stress affects meat quality. So try to minimize the animal’s stress.

-Maintain good relationships with the hogs. Keep them calm because ultimately they are big and you want them working with you.

Visit www.permaculturevoices.com/14 for show notes.