06/04/2022
Our Goal
With help from The Transfarmation Project, we are converting a small, unused building on my father’s CAFO property into a fruiting chamber for growing oyster mushrooms. If we furnish a quality product to farmers markets and restaurants that come into demand, we plan to depopulate 1 (750 head) out of the 10 swine barns and move the mushroom operation into that larger space. Occupying that designated hog barn will annually keep 1,875 animals off the market. That would save 5 lives per day for everyday we occupy those hog spaces. We can then grow different types of mushrooms to accommodate demand.
If the mushrooms are successful, we have discussed a few ideas for the other barns. Barn to Greenhouse conversion, Micro Greens, Storage, etc. Currently, the 10 barns provide an estimated 19,000 hogs (5,700,000 lbs of pork) to market each year. 19,000 per YEAR seems like a lot, until you realize these ‘processing plants’ slaughter more than 20,000 per DAY. With help from Transfarmation and others, my goal is to transition our FAMILY FARM from meat farming to a plant based operation, which is more sustainable and a healthier option for consumers and the environment.
Once the hog barns are completely depopulated, our land can begin to recover from years of ‘free fertilizer’ that was applied to the Bermuda hay. Coastal Bermuda is a plant that can handle most nitrogen rich waste as long as it isn’t over applied. This liquid fertilizer is swine manure and urine that has undergone an aerobic or anaerobic process. You’ll often hear folks say, “Smells like money to me.” The odor isn’t the only thing that lingers. Heavy metals are left behind in the soil. Zinc and Copper are commonly added to feed to reduce the use of antibiotics, due to growing global antibiotic resistance.
Once the hogs are all gone, our land can begin to heal.
