turning forest into swine pasture

paddler · #1 06/11/12, 10:23 AM

ive been cutting and burning and turning some dense boreal forest into a clearing/pasture for my pigs. its about half and acre right now but its getting bigger. im not clearing everything out, just trying to get more sunlight in. its not very vegetated because the forest canopy was so thick that no sunlight came in. now i am looking to seed the area and use it as a pasture for the pigs. i have read that clovers, alfalfa and a grass mix is good for pigs. i am wanting to seed something that will need only minimal reseeding in the future to maintain. it also needs to be very cold tolerant as i am in the very far northeastern corner of Minnesota. I would love to get some input and any ideas of what people would do in my situation. i appreciate it.

haypoint · #2 06/11/12, 11:14 PM

Pigs raised outside in cold weather take lots more feed just to stay warm. Pigs will kill what trees they can get to. Boreal forest ground is generally highly acidic. Clover and alfalfa will need neutral soil to thrive. That'll take at least 5 tons of ground lime per acre, applied every 5 or 6 years. Hogs will root up large areas of new seeding clover in a single night. Raising hogs in a semi-wooded, cold climate eating pasture is a bad idea. IMHO.

gerold · #3 06/12/12, 12:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by haypoint

Pigs raised outside in cold weather take lots more feed just to stay warm. Pigs will kill what trees they can get to. Boreal forest ground is generally highly acidic. Clover and alfalfa will need neutral soil to thrive. That'll take at least 5 tons of ground lime per acre, applied every 5 or 6 years. Hogs will root up large areas of new seeding clover in a single night. Raising hogs in a semi-wooded, cold climate eating pasture is a bad idea. IMHO.

Maybe it is different there. However. I have my hogs on open range. 5 ac. pasture, 10 ac. woods with pine, oak, elm, etc. trees and brushes . They been there a year and cleared out most of the small bushes and did a bit of rooting for acorns and such. They didn't kill any of my trees. Cut my feed bill by 2/3.

I planted wheat, oat, rye, last fall and some grass mix in the pasture. They used it all winter. In Feb. i replanted wheat and rye in some area where they had finished it off.
I have wild grass growing back in the woods now that will be good feed for the hogs this coming winter.

gerold · #4 06/12/12, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paddler

ive been cutting and burning and turning some dense boreal forest into a clearing/pasture for my pigs. its about half and acre right now but its getting bigger. im not clearing everything out, just trying to get more sunlight in. its not very vegetated because the forest canopy was so thick that no sunlight came in. now i am looking to seed the area and use it as a pasture for the pigs. i have read that clovers, alfalfa and a grass mix is good for pigs. i am wanting to seed something that will need only minimal reseeding in the future to maintain. it also needs to be very cold tolerant as i am in the very far northeastern corner of Minnesota. I would love to get some input and any ideas of what people would do in my situation. i appreciate it.

Talk to your local feed store and see what grasses do well there in that cool area. Good to plant a mix where you have burned and cleared so it can get a good early start before putting any hog on it.

ChristieAcres · #5 06/12/12, 03:20 AM

I didn't see mention of very secure fencing, but that is very important! When pigs escape and go feral...really bad news for all nearby properties and beyond. You mentioned 1.5 acres, but not how many pigs... Are you separating this into a few different areas for rotation purposes? Will this be for long-term pig pasturing?

We have had to put careful consideration into the size of our pig areas. Since we are only raising feeders, not breeding pigs, they are only here temporarily. That allows us to rotate smaller areas more easily, replanting, etc... Next time, we will have a lot more Jersusalem Artichokes, Kale, Comfrey, and Squash varieties. There is a large Hubbard variety that can get up to 50#s... We plan to grow almost all their feed right here. Before we get more pigs, I will be planting it with Jerusalem Artichokes and other roots veggies. Pigs love to dig those up, eat stalk, tubers, and all (J Chokes).

haypoint · #6 06/12/12, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gerold

Maybe it is different there. However. I have my hogs on open range. 5 ac. pasture, 10 ac. woods with pine, oak, elm, etc. trees and brushes . They been there a year and cleared out most of the small bushes and did a bit of rooting for acorns and such. They didn't kill any of my trees. Cut my feed bill by 2/3.

I planted wheat, oat, rye, last fall and some grass mix in the pasture. They used it all winter. In Feb. i replanted wheat and rye in some area where they had finished it off.
I have wild grass growing back in the woods now that will be good feed for the hogs this coming winter.

How many hogs are you pasturing on your 15 acres?
Yes, the climate in Missori is different from that along the US northern border. Planted in Feb? HaHa

gerold · #7 06/12/12, 12:03 PM

16 hogs. However i have 750 ac. fenced in I can use more when the time comes.
Winter wheat reseeded in feb. Other wheat planted in Mar. Mild winter here made it nice.

i have 10 ac. wheat that i planted last fall that is ready to harvest. I think i will turn the sows in on it and let them have at it in a month.

haypoint · #8 06/12/12, 05:14 PM

Over the years, I’ve seen lots of folks buy fields and want to turn it into forest as quick as possible. Others, buy forest and want to convert it into crop land, easily and cheaply. Some buy dry land and want to have a pond easily and cheaply. I’ve heard of folks that buy swamp land and want to dry it up.
I’ve got an Aunt that has been growing hundreds of Marigolds in the high dry plateau of northern Arizona. She waters three times a day. My Great-Grandpa paid for a farm and raised a family on soil that is now hundreds of acres prime gravel pit. I’ve struggled to raise fruit trees in solid clay soil with limited success.
I’ve either been involved with or viewed sheep farming in wolf habitat, ducks in fox territory and orchards in deer country.
I’ve seen the thick rich, black topsoil that covers northern Minnesota. Too bad the cold wind never stops blowing there.
I’ve grown pigs in the cold weather and seen feed cost sky-rocket and weight gains lose steam.
I’ve seen the damage the recently introduced Wild Hogs do to forests. I witnessed a 40 acre forest/swamp turned into a disaster because the owner turned 150 wild hogs in there, near Bay City. After they killed trees and brush and made a stinking mess out of it, they escaped and have been spotted in three nearby counties.
Maybe pigs aren’t a good match for you, northern MN and boreal forest lands. If you want pork, build a shed and get a few feeders after the snow melts, like June. Butcher in September, before the snow gets too deep. Otherwise, Mother Nature will have you in a headlock.

paddler · #9 06/13/12, 11:18 AM

thanks all! thats some good advice. after reading what was written i will tell you a little more about my operation and what i am currently thinking about doing. i have a two sow (red wattle) operation that is mainly for weaners that i sell within my community. i raise up a couple for my family and then raise a few for some older people that buy them at market weight from me. we are so isolated that we dont have anyone raising hogs to buy feeder pigs from so i am doing it as a way of contributing to the sufficiency of my community. i dont make too much money with it but i enjoy the pigs and the work so i call it good. maybe a pasture isnt practicle for me. instead i think i will concentrate on growing mangel beets and j. artichokes and see how that works as a supplemental feed. i also have a 9 apple trees and i get vegetable scraps from a few local places. i am just working to try and reduce buying commercial grain rations and increase the amount of feed that i can provide for myself. Thanks again, i really appreciate the advice that i get on this board.