Sugar Mountain Farm - Principles

Principles

Jeffries bases his farm principles of observations on animals' activities, traditional farming methods from past centuries and applying scientific process. Animals are moved frequently among paddocks to maximize the growth and harvest of pasture during the short warm period of the northern climate. Rotation and chickens are put in the original pasture to manage insects. The sheep and pigs graze the grass and leave enriching manure that poultry pick through while also eating the more tender grass. In the winter the animals shelter in open dens and sheds using deep bedding of hay to replace the pasture providing protection from the cold and winds. Sheep do major brush clearing, pigs do the work of tilling, chickens weed and remove insect pests, dogs do guardian and herding duty.

The majority of pork sold in large stores is raised in factory farms. Small pastured farms are an alternative to both intensive and outdoor piggeries: pastured pig farms where pigs are truly raised on pasture getting most or all of their diet from grazing and foraging as innovated at Sugar Mountain Farm in . When provided with appropriate field settings, brush and forage the pigs do not have problems with heat stress, sunburn, manure is naturally spread over larger areas returning the nutrients to the soil and morbidity levels are far lower providing for a higher survival rate as well as better profits for small farms.

Techniques of managed rotational grazing are used just like with sheep, cattle and horses to prevent overgrazing and erosion. Parasites and worms are controlled through the use of co-grazing species such as poultry as well as natural anthelmintics like garlic, whey, pepper, pine and pumpkin. In addition to being more sustainable and profitable, the pastured pig operation is more humane for both the pigs and the farmer.