Big news. I’m splitting up farming with my parents.
A little background. My parents own 510 acres with roughly 200 acres tillable, and 300 acres pasture. I own 120 acres with roughly 80 acres tillable, and 40 acres pasture. We have managed our farms as a collective farm for the past 17 years.
We raise beef cattle and hogs, pasturing and growing all the forages for the cattle, and growing all the corn and oats and straw bedding for the hogs. Soybean meal is purchased for the hogs.
A few years ago, I started a partnership with a couple about my age to direct-market an increasing amount of our beef and pork in the Madison markets. This is where my passion lies, and I want to continue this business.
So I’ve been spending a lot of brain power figuring out how to do this on my farm. What I’ve decided so far is to buy steers in the fall and grass-finish them the following green season. I believe I have enough pasture and forage to raise enough cattle to meet the demand of our direct-market.
What I’m going to have to give up is the beautiful herd of cows and calves pictured below. I simply don’t have enough land to have everything.
I am going to continue to have my swine breeding stock. Genetics is another one of my passions, so I have to continue to play with the genetics of something. I plan on raising just enough hogs for my direct-market. I’ll probably have to purchase more of the grain than I do now.
Pictured below is a Duroc boar I raised who will be the first herdsire on my new farm. I haven’t named him yet, so I thought it would be fun if you have a suggestion to leave a comment. I’ll pick the best name out of your suggestions.
This blog will be one of the biggest beneficiaries of this change. Since I no longer have anyone’s privacy to protect but my own, I can be as open as I am brave. I’m looking forward to sharing more.
Posted by Curiousfarmer 
Curiousfarmer 