I woke up to the cattle loudly complaining — moos carrying across the barnyard in the -18° windchill. The water had frozen overnight, and everyone wanted me to know about it. Flexibility is a key trait in farming, and mornings like this are a good reminder. Just when I start to trust that warmer days are here to stay, winter asks me to stay humble.
Still, trust is a powerful thing.
I trust that the snow covering Minnesota today will melt, that the ground beneath these white drifts will soon be ready to grow again — and that all the work pushing drifts today also means good moisture on our fields in the months ahead.
One project I’m especially excited about this year is our pastured pork.
Pigs have quickly become one of my favorite parts of farm life. We’re still fairly new to them, but we’ve been fortunate to learn from some wonderful mentors. This year we’re taking another step forward: planting a special “pig garden.”
The plan is to grow peas, barley, squash, turnips, pumpkins, and radishes specifically for the pigs — letting them self-harvest some through managed plots, picking some for them as we go as well (and probably snitching a few things for our table too). They’ll also have 24/7 access to alfalfa and other forages, along with locally milled grain to round out their diet. It will be so fun to watch this all come together; I love getting my hands in the dirt!
My long-term goal is to grow 100% of our pig feed right here on the farm as part of building a more regenerative and sustainable system. We’re not there yet, and it probably won’t all come together for a while — but every season is another step toward raising pigs in a way that works to improve our land and supports families at the same time.
Right now, pushing through the drifts covering the fields where that pig garden will soon be planted, it takes a little imagination. But pigs make it easy to stay motivated. They’re endlessly curious, a little mischievous, and genuinely funny animals. This morning I spotted them by the puffs of mist rising from their deep hay bedding in their shelter— they sure know how to handle a winter storm. Good thing they’re easygoing; there’s a drift clear over their fence today they could walk right out if they wanted. Another project for today I can stay busy with while imagining gardens.
My hope is that by 2027, we’ll have enough of this system working to host a field day — inviting farmers and families out to see one idea of what sustainable pig production can look like.
For now, we’ll keep trusting that spring is just around the corner.
Your farmer,
Leah Matzke & the rest of us at Great Heritage Farm.
