The Difference of Connection
There is a huge disconnect between producer and consumer these days. The consumer picks up what they want from the grocery store with no way of knowing what the animal was fed, where it came from, how it was raised or even where it was processed.
We have commercial pig barns all around us. One of our good friends works for a couple of these barns. He works for other local families that own the barns and contract out to companies that supply the pigs. Then I'm not sure where the pigs go for processing or who's label they are sold under.
Pigs have different barns for breeding, farrowing (give birth), nursery, growing and finishing. They have to keep these barn an appropriate distance from water ways, residential areas, and other pig barns to try and prevent diseases.
Pigs raised in confinement like this are very susceptible to sickness. So as a worker, they must shower before they go into the barns and wear protective clothing to prevent sickness. The workers are also not supposed to go around any other pigs that they might pick up something and then bring back to the pig barns.
They also have unlimited supplies of antibiotics from the companies that own the pigs. With all of this, we constantly see dead piglets in the back of our neighbors truck. And just a few days ago seen a 300lb+ dead pig from the finishing barn. He said it died of "sudden dead" no other explanations needed by the company.
My first thought is that they do all these things to try and keep the pigs alive, yet they still die. How unhealthy is that pig then? Or, what about all the pigs that make it to processing? How healthy can they be?
Not only is there a disconnect between producers and consumers. There's a disconnect in the company's that actually own and market the pigs and the families raising the animals. I truly don't understand how the whole system works. For a couple years our neighbors that own the pig barns were getting paid to not raise pigs...the company still has to make a profit. So how to they pay farms not to raise pigs and still make a profit? Total mystery to me!
The more I learn about commercial operations the more I understand why Americas are getting sicker and sicker. Food is the basis of our health and if the only food available to us is unhealthy, how do we stand a chance at being healthy? We don't.
It is why we work so hard to raise our animals as nature intended them to be raised. They don’t get antibiotics, vaccines, or hormones. No shots at all! In their natural environments, animals are naturally healthy and happy. We also don’t spray any of our property with chemicals of any kind. We want to help you live a healthy life with our healthy proteins!