Natural Born Weedkillers

One of the most amazing attributes of a pig is its snout.  When you really stop and observe closely how a pig ploughs, to hear the coarse tearing of earth and roots as the nose opens up the ground, you can't help but be amazed at how flesh and bone can perform a task typically reserved for steel and petroleum. If not channelled correctly, this power will of course cause damage.  Many of the people I speak with associate pigs with environmental issues and to use them as a method for land regeneration in particular is a strange concept.  I wanted to use this post to share one of the many positive aspects pigs bring to land regeneration.

I was told by a farmer from U.S Virginia that the 'Old Timers' of his town said they used to remove tree stumps by drilling holes into the wood and then pouring in corn - the pigs would do the rest of the work.  In comparison to a tree, blackberry bushes would be easier to uproot ... now it was time to put this theory to the test!

I gave our Berkshire pigs their daily ration of grain and then poured a little around the blackberries.  The next day, I wet out to look at the results.

Can you believe this magic!  I only poked these exposed roots with my toe after taking the photo and the whole thing came out!  What joy - it seems the old time Virginian farmers were right after all.  It makes me glad and strangely a little sad as well.  How much of this valuable knowledge are we losing?

At least everyone involved with Life On The Land, from family, friends and especially our customers, are a part of the learning, implementation, preservation and sharing of this information to keep natural farming methods alive.  :)