Tag Archive for: Pigs/Hogs

Looking for On-farm Diversification? Consider Pastured Pigs
I once had a platoon sergeant who liked to say, “the best defense is having a diversity of offense.” It wasn’t until recently that I made this connection to my farm and to my work at NCAT. One of the most common topics that I speak with farmers about is how to best diversify their operation to successfully weather the current reality we find ourselves in.
By Mike Lewis, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist

For the Love of the Wild: Livestock Pastures as Wildlife Habitat
Farmers, ranchers, and researchers have come to understand that the functionality of ecosystems on farms is largely dependent on plant and animal biodiversity. Functional ecological processes and services are facilitated by biology, necessitating maintenance of biological integrity and diversity in agroecosystems.
By Lee Rinehart, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist

Virtual Farm Tour: Risk Management at Appel Farms
In this video, farmers Travis and Mandy Appel detail their specialty…

Building a Strong Foundation for Working with Livestock
Years of farming and visiting other farms, combined with recent education in soil health, have convinced me of this: We can best serve people, the land, and the livestock by learning to care for the soil FIRST. That’s why NCAT’s Livestock and Grazing Team began with this foundation when they gathered to teach a three-part series for beginning livestock producers.
By Linda Coffey, NCAT Livestock Specialist

Overgrazing – A Chronic Soil Disturbance on Grazing Lands: Part II
If we’re going to build the health of anything – whether that’s our own health or the health of grazing lands – and we are causing damage by our management actions, then our first priority should be to stop the damage.
By Justin Morris, Regenerative Grazing Specialist
By Justin Morris, Regenerative Grazing Specialist

Building Strong Foundations, Part 3. Choosing Livestock for Your Farm
In the final session of the three-part "Building Strong Foundations"…

Overgrazing – A Chronic Soil Disturbance on Grazing Lands: Part I
Chronic human diseases are everywhere these days it seems. Interestingly, there are some similarities between how our bodies respond to acute and chronic disturbances and how grazing lands respond to acute and chronic disturbances that come in the form of grazing, drought, fire, hail and even insect pest invasion.
By Justin Morris, Regenerative Grazing Specialist
By Justin Morris, Regenerative Grazing Specialist

The Impact of Grazing Frequency and Recovery Period on Plant Diversity and Soil Health
During my extensive travels working in pastoral ecosystems for nearly 20 years, ranging from Hawaii to New Hampshire and a lot of places in between, I’ve observed a common phenomenon. Whenever I would see a pasture that was always grazed down very short, I would see maybe two or three species of plants there. At the opposite end of the spectrum, I observed fields where livestock were never permitted to go and again, I would see a few plant species at best. Between these two extremes I found pastures with incredible diversity. So, what was driving plant diversity or the lack of it?
By Justin Morris, Regenerative Livestock Specialist
By Justin Morris, Regenerative Livestock Specialist

Getting Started in Livestock: Lessons Learned
By Linda Coffey, NCAT Livestock Specialist
Thinking back to…