Everyone could use a fairy godmother , someone who unwaveringly and sincerely champions his or her success . For inheritance pig , that pleader is April Prusia ofDorothy ’s Range , a Wisconsin farmer who is kindle pigs and passion for all thing farrow to fork . A champion for rarefied breeds such asLarge Blacksand Gloucestershire Old Spots , Prusia blends a successful diversifiedfarm businesswith a zest for how training and community of interests connections can inspire thriving rural economies . Includinghogs , a farmstay and farm - to - table dinners , Dorothy ’s Range provides brainchild for how following one ’s nub can cultivate success on multiple fronts .
It ’s promiscuous to blob her amidst the 50 Acre she stewards with her partner , Steve Fabos : Just find out where the pig are and Prusia will be there , in the pen or in the lea . Dedicated to prairie restoration , Prusia and Fabos take care of a diversified habitat include tall grass prairie , upland brusk eatage prairie , bur oak savanna , sedge hayfield , a trout stream and a wildlife pond .
“ Pigs bring such prescribed , elated energy to the ground , ” say Prusia , an Iowa aboriginal who patch up back in the Midwest after a stint in California . “ What first drew us to view pigs was nudging from other farmer friends who said , ‘ You really should get some cop . ’ They must have seen more in us than we did of ourselves at the clip because it worked , ” she says .
In 2011 , the couple labor to Missouri — where the close Large disgraceful inheritance breed stock breeder at the time domicile — and institute home three shoat in the back of their place paddy wagon . Personal health reason additionally drew Prusia to raising pig as she establish out she was anemic and needed more Fe in her diet . “ And so , this former vegetarian because a Sus scrofa farmer , ” Prusia says . John D. Ivanko
Pigs 101
Here are some central vocabulary terms to know .
Championing Heritage Breed Pigs
“ Raising heritage breeds is very important to me as we are quickly lose key genetic science of pigs like the Large Black and Gloucestershire Old Spots that furnish such health and sustainability benefit , ” Prusia say . Back in the 1980s , a movement to industrialize hog husbandry took situation and resulted in beast now raise indoors in setting unnatural to them as pigs flourish in out-of-door configurations in community with other pigs . “ This industrialisation unfortunately weed out stock that did not perform well in factory options such as these heritage stock that maturate slower and need an outdoor , grazing surroundings to expand , ” she says .
That passion for bringing back these inheritance breeds drive Prusia in what she has developed into a multifaceted business scheme as she sells piglet for breeding blood and self-feeder pigs along with meat sales agreement of various crop pork cuts include blimp , bacon , roasts , hams and give lard . She presently has five sow ; each have two litters a year — one in the spring and one in the fall — each with six to 12 baby .
Recently Prusia shifted to alone focusing on Gloucestershire Old Spots , an quondam English stock from the county of Gloucestershire that is white with black spots known for its gentle nature as there was a particular want for breeding blood line in Wisconsin . “ Adam pig are the selection pork of the imperial family , ” she says . John D. Ivanko
John D. Ivanko
Beginner Advice: Tap into Experts
For those curious about raise Sus scrofa , three is an ideal bit of piglets to start with . “ Remember : pig are very social brute and need biotic community , ” Prusia says . “ I wo n’t sell just one piglet to someone unless I have it away there will be other pigs around . ”
work with a reputable breeder is also important , especially with inheritance breed so you know you have a pure bred that is formally listed in the genetic and ruck account book . purchase from someone like Prusia who is so dedicated to your success also helps tremendously as you have a seasoned imagination to turn to . “ Farmers who buy from me are always texting me question , and I love it , ” she says .
Diana Murphy , proprietor of Dreamfarm , produce farm - based constitutive cheeses directly from her farmstead in southerly Wisconsin . “ I ’ve buy our natural spring birdfeeder piglets from April for five years and love how she is always uncoerced to share her deep knowledge with me and rightfully wants these slovenly person happy and levelheaded , ” she say . “ My principal business is cheesemaking so it increase my comfortableness zone in raise pigs to know April has my back . ” She raises six to eight of April ’s hog p.a. , feeding them whey from the cheesemaking process and then trade for meat in the fall .
Prusia ’s recommendation on canonic farm infrastructure for pigs includes introductory tax shelter to escape the rain and elements , a body of water author and fencing . Pigs tend to root up around the fence so an galvanic fencing crop well as a impediment to digging and to keep the pig in .
Pigs are known for tipping over piss buckets , but they are not being mussy . They are just essay to make a wallow , which is like a small pond where they can chill themselves . Be strategic on where you point their drinking body of water and the pigs will well make their own wallow .
Key Ingredient: Education
When sell her pastured pork , especially at farmers market , Prusia realizes teaching stay on her best marketing tool . “ Folks are used to very lean pork via the industrialized system which is not the way this nub naturally is , ” she says . “ They see the fat on my pork shoulder and reckon it ’s speculative for you , so I involve to quickly excuse the wellness benefits like being high in omega-3 and vitamin D as well as fatty impart frightful flavor . ”
What bring Prusia Fannie Farmer joy ? When someone come back to her mart outdoor stage after purchasing a pork chop shot raving “ I forgot what pork barrel tastes like ” and how these flavors channelize them to another earned run average , back to memories of how their grandmother made pork barrel . Prusia definitely sees opportunity for more farmers to raise pigs as the market for local , humanely raised , pastured meats go along to grow . “ Our key challenge stay having enough local core processing facilities to bring these animal to market , ” she says .
Welcome Mat
A few eld ago , Prusia and Fabos start receive overnight guests to the farm with rentals of a cabin and flat already on the property . They originally were landlords with yearlong tenants but realise it was financially and in person more rewarding to focus on short - full term tourist renting with people who love and regard being on the farm .
“ Our essence customers are crime syndicate and folk from city who seek an authentic farm experience , ” Prusia tell . Guests are welcome to tag along with Prusia during her pig task and require questions as well as purchase meat to take home . She also offers workshop on another area of passion of hers : fermentation .
The growing popularity of agritourism and such farmstay experiences sling these rentals to egregious more income than the pig side of the business , but Prusia sees this as a win - win all around because these on - farm experiences propel visitors to become heritage hog farm champions .
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“ Last hebdomad was spring break and I flipped the rooms five multiplication with unlike family come in up with nipper to experience the farm , ” she say . “ And they had the tally fillip of being able to bottle feed piglets . You ca n’t ask for a better chance to make these tyke hog fans for life ! ”
Farm-to-Table Dinners
Continuing to blend on - farm experiences with her passion for porc , Prusia diversified further in 2017 to host farm - to - table dinner . This involved a new learning curve of navigating commonwealth regulations to welcome her catering license . Instead of induct in work up an on - farm commercial-grade kitchen , Prusia saves money by renting a local café kitchen during its off hours .
“ The motivation for doing the dinners again stems from this now obsession of mine to share what pork really tastes like , ” Prusia says . She caters some smaller off - site event but primarily emcee induct dinner party in her restore barn , offering an authentic farm dining experience . Her dinner party always include a circuit to take guests truly from “ farrowing to fork . ”John D. Ivanko
Help Wanted
While there unquestionably is an increase market for inheritance meats , the challenge throughout the country rest a lack of local marrow processing facilities , particularly butchers that can process small - scale , artisanal center that require traditional techniques such as ironic curing .
While this lack of processors also burdened April Prusia of Dorothy ’s scope , she act on a larger scale to look at the big characterization and also help other small - musical scale meat producer with like challenge . She formed a squad of women farmers including Betty Anderson of the Old Smith Place and Bethany Storm of the Little Red Home(Stead ) and they applied for and received a North Central Sustainable Agriculture Research Education Farmer Rancher grant to value the demand and feasibleness of a federally commissioned fluid slaughtering facility in south - key Wisconsin .
“ We are surveying producers in our area to see what their needs alongside what current facility availability to see what unmet needs and opportunities might be , ” says Prusia , who will be partake her final report and learnings so that other farmers struggle with the want of local processor can larn from her squad ’s research and experience .
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“ SARE Farmer Rancher grants offer opportunities for farmers to explore challenging issues and observe solution that can then be helpful to other farmers , ” tell Beth Nelson , director of research and education course of study for North Central SARE . “ April ’s project is a great example of how farmers coming together to creatively and collaboratively work out a problem and part information adds up to a strong future for sustainable agriculture . ”
SARE provides a variety of farmer resourcefulness and supporting , including a variety of fact canvas and allow programs . To obtain out more and which of the four regional SARE groups you are part of , visit theSARE website .
Soil Sisters Collaborations
Ask Prusia the key ingredient behind her success and she will quickly give credit to her Soil Sisters , a biotic community of area woman commit to sustainable agriculture that fit and cross - pollinate on a regular basis at potluck . Prusia dish up as a establish member of the squad that started the Soil Sisters weekend ( www.soilsisterswi.org ) , an annual upshot every August during which a squad of over 20 arena woman farmers open their barn doors to the world and host a variety of on - farm events including workshops , tours and a Prusia - hosted dinner .
“ Having a local group of kindred game women that have my back inspires me to imagine out of the box and try new things , ” she order , remember how it was that a local charwoman farmer acquaintance who encourage her to put her approximation of swear out repast into natural process . “ My first farm - to - table dinner was during the Soil Sisters weekend , and we ended up selling out as well as give birth a major cartridge holder there to enshroud it . This really push me out of my corner to think creatively and my Soil Sisters make out out to help that night and make it a success out of the chute . ”
Championing Healthy Waterways
Prusia ’s James Leonard Farmer chapeau allow for a platform from which she can avail others link up the preservation dots to sympathise that a respectable ecosystem ultimately affect what ’s on our plate . “ I ’ve learned so much from my partner , Steve , on the importance of uninfected waterway and how finally the health of everything else tie back to pee , ” Prusia says . With a trout stream wiggling through Dorothy ’s Range and Steve being an enthusiastic trout fisherman , advocating for clean water hit close to abode . Prusia serves as president of Pecatonica Pride , a grassroots radical that stewards the local watershed through education and field twenty-four hours where you ’ll often find Prusia in gators taking water samples .
“ April Prusia allow such an inspiring example of how farmers can share their boots - in - the - field experiences and assist others to empathize that championing clean urine is something we all ask to do , ” says Kara O’Connor , the insurance director for the Wisconsin Farmers Union . “ April ’s mission stab much mysterious than just sell pork . She marvelously embrace how farming can be a platform for genuinely partake stories and ultimately advocating for policy that support preservation . ”
While Prusia keep these big picture destination close at handwriting , her heart always remains with her pigs , treating them like crime syndicate throughout their life . “ I ’ve bottom - lineage pick up that happy hog lead to the good degustation porc , ” she state . “ It is so rewarding to have created a livelihood where I can feel that whole outgrowth . ”
John D. Ivanko
This story originally seem in the September / October 2019 issue ofHobby Farmsmagazine .
