Type of opportunity:

Sale (Standard), Sale (Owner Financed), Lease with Option to Buy. More info: Seeking land opportunity near our residence in Northwest Harnett County, NC to expand. It would also be great to connect with someone willing to mentor and/or provide advice with the business of farming. We are members of the American Guinea Hog Association (AGHA) and the American Guinea Hog Breeders Forum, establishing contacts with others who provide support regarding the breed.

Equipment & infrastructure:

Barn, Fencing, Well / Pond / Other water source. More info: Barn/outbuilding and fencing are preferences but not required. We can add these. Water source would need to be available or obtainable.

Current production on farm:

Hogs, Orchard, Poultry (Broiler/Layer), Sheep/Goat (Dairy/Meat), Vegetable production. More info: We own 3 AGHA registered sows and 1 AGHA boar. American Guinea Hogs are a small, southern heritage breed listed on the Livestock Conservancy as "critical." The meat produced is unlike that of the commercial varieties; it is red, marbled and considered the "Kobe beef of pork." We have a small group of individuals and a BBQ company that we market to, using a local slaughterhouse for processing. We currently hold a Farm ID and have tags for transporting hogs to the processor. We cure our own bacon and hams, and make our own sausage. We teach others how to make these items themselves. We also sell chickens annually and eggs continuously, enabling the chickens to be financially self-sustaining.

Current farming practices:

More info: Not certified organic. We are thoughtful and conscientious of the environment, the welfare of the animal and take steps to be humane and responsible stewards of what we have been blessed with. "To those to whom much is given, so is much responsibility." Our philosophy is that the more one has, the greater the level of responsibility. With that in mind, we use few if any pesticides on produce, implement companion gardening practices, use compost from our own animals and vegetation, some purchased organic fertilizer. We do not give our hogs medicinal remedies unless prescribed by veterinarian. Our goats are CAE free as per annual test, given copper bolus treatments 2x annually, CDT 1x annually

Number of years experience:

10

Other qualifications:

More info: Farming experience is small scale as we operate a small homestead. In addition to the hogs, we raise Blue-Laced Red Wyandotte Chickens and Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats. We grow our own vegetables for freezing and canning, and have planted an orchard of various fruit trees for our own use. We also have honey bees. We sell eggs, chickens, Nigerian Dwarf Goats after they are weaned, and AGH piglets after they are weaned. We currently work with a local veterinarian for routine and emergency care of our animals. We are leaning to make soap and candles with plans to sell these products to the community.

Production goals:

Hay or pasture, Hogs, Sheep/Goat (Dairy/Meat). More info: The American Guinea Hog is raised on pasture and in wooded areas. They graze and forage for food, and are extremely food efficient. The farming practices for this breed are unlike those of the large, commercial breeds. They get along with other animals, are easily managed and have docile temperaments. Pasture rotation is needed to prevent overgrazing as with any other pastured animal. 10 pigs per acre when they can be rotated is standard practice. Goal is to increase production in order to market more niche meat to the local community.

Personal experience and production goals summary:

We live in a time where people are becoming more concerned about their food and where it comes from. They want "farm to table." There is also a movement for purchasing local and "niche" products (e.g. microbreweries). The AGH is the perfect breed to fit neatly into each of these areas. Holly Springs and Fuquay-Varina are growing and marketing a gourmet meat to local restaurants is highly probable. This breed of pig is featured in Slow Food USA: Ark of Taste. People would be intrigued to see that featured on a menu, and knowing that it was grown locally would be a plus. We have learned a variety of new skills from doing our own research and from attending the annual Carolina Meat Conference.  Aside from marketing pork to individuals and restaurants, we have an interest in providing workshops to teach people how to garden, can and freeze vegetables, how to select a backyard chicken best suited for their needs then care for it, and what is needed to create a working homestead. We have found that these skills have become lost in modern society. Some people have the desire to care for themselves, grow their own food, but they don't know how and know no one to teach them.             I currently work full-time in the field of education (special education teacher, assistant principal and now work for the NC Department of Public Instruction). I have a B.S. in psychology, teaching certificates in Specific Learning Disabilities and Middle Grades Math, and a graduate degree in school administration. My husband has a degree in electro-mechanical design, is a master electrician, and currently works for Wake County maintaining the courthouse, justice center and libraries. We are restoring a 70 year home and its outbuildings in Harnett County, doing the work ourselves. 

 

 

Resume:

2018-12 LJP Land Link Program Resume.pdf