Recently I borrowed a book from the library entitled Storey's guide to raising pigs. So far this book has explained the basic demands of raising and keeping pigs for personal use and small farm use. After reading the first three chapters of this book I think I am that much closer to successfully raising and breeding swine. This is also bringing some good questions to mind about local problems. Where do I find breed stock? Where do I start looking for feedstuff? Both issues are talked about in the book, however it still seems a little intangible until I can start finding the local people I need to talk to.
First things first. We need to acquire land. Fortunately it only takes 2/10 of on acre to raise a couple sows and there litters. Not to mention the boar for the breeding. Currently I am looking for something in Anoka county that has .25 to 5 acres of land for close to $100k. It may seem like I am asking for a lot but the current market allows for such aggressive goals. While we are living in our apartment, we have time to look for a place and if necessary do a little TLC or minor repairs.
Back to my main point, raising swine is low maintenance with low requirements. Depending on the breed your pork can have wonderful taste and pack a standing freezer. If you don't want to deal with the maintenance of a pig you can have someone raise and butcher your pig for you for less than what the equivalent would cost at the grocery store. Not to mention the taste will be far superior to the grocery store pork. Hopefully we will be raising and selling pork in the next year or two.
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