$14,300 From Raising Pigs For Pork

[@francesgribbon5322]

John...LOVE your videos! We have ten acres in the Arkansas Ozark Mountains and even tho I’m a 56 yo woman, I use so many of your techniques...especially with chickens!

[@donadams8831]

When I was a boy my father bought 3 sows and 1 boar all pure bred Landrace. We kept them for 1 year then sold them off. The problem we had continually was the boar tried to break through the fencing. We tried everything including electric fencing turned up full blast. He was so big he would lean against the fence squalling all the time till the electric fence gave way then he pushed the regular fence till it broke. We then went to standard pigs with no problems.

[@michaeltheiss749]

You are a good steward. You are blessed. Give thanks everyday.

[@Joesfosterdogs]

just another farm dude with a pro DJ or announcer voice...excellent voice skills!!! Mike Rowe of pigs...

[@rewildfarm3099]

great video John! quality was fantastic. Looking forward to watching you over the season. You have inspired me to grow my woodland poultry business up here in MA. Already pre-sold 200 chickens and have my first batch heading to two restaurants in this Friday :) keep up the great work.

[@builtfromseed7891]

I am so excited about this season’s videos! Is far all we’ve really gotten is preview and already there is so much information 💖 I am excited to see the details unfold! 💖Chelsea

[@laydenhollowhomestead]

how do you get people to pay that much for pork.I have been raising pig for years no way I would get $1500 for one pig. That's the price for young beef around 16 month old.

[@thexvault]

Thats selling the individual parts separately which increases cost to the customer, he sells whole pigs for $800

[@kenarnold9132]

Along with a couple other posts, look at where he lives. High cost of living area. Move that operation to the midwest and those numbers will be cut 75%.

[@OMGKITTENMEWMEW1]

You can tell he's got a pretty substantial community around him as a result of the brewery, and with the organic/sustainable/local/ethical brand name, plus an active community, I can see him easily charging double what you would get at the supermarket, and people being ecstatic to pay.

[@hayjohn9664]

All of the numbers on this guys' site are bloated as hell. Figure about 168 pounds of sellable pork from a good sized hog and you're at $9/lb. In other videos he's listing $6/lb for chickens. I'm not saying he's lying, but they're certainly not the numbers that anyone else in the country/world should be using for budgeting purposes.

[@hayjohn9664]

@just me Thanks for the geography lesson...

[@miriambertram2448]

Justin Rhodes did a long video on pigs and using the pigs to 'cultivate' and prep for his vegetable gardens. This was a part of a long video which went from start to finish with home butchering

[@jeffb6276]

You're awesome man. I'm from CT and currently live in CA to get away from CT folks. You make it hard to talk bad about folks from CT, you're so kind and up beat. Seems like decent folks are hard to come by around their.. atleast growing up it was, I left when I was 20

[@Bw2788]

I live in California and I can't imagine that people from CT are worst then people from CA

[@nancyfahey7518]

They are probably all agitated cause of the taxes they pay. Both Conn and Cali.

[@GoldShawFarm]

I’m liking the new video format. I also think you really crush it when you’re focusing on the business end of things. Good stuff!

[@justinowens765]

Heck yeas

[@superma74]

john, I have followed you for quite a while. you are proving some important points. 1) sustainable farming is a great hobby. 2) you can't make a decent living from that. 3) follow your heart. with your energy and skills you could be a millionaire with no trouble at all but that isn't where your heart is.

[@farmmarketing]

People can and do make a living from sustainable farming. Absolutely. It just so happens I am part of two businesses and my whole living does not come from farming. I have an on-farm off-farm job with the brewery.

[@superma74]

so does everyone involved in sustainable farming. it is very disingenuous of you to try to fool people into thinking they can make a decent living. the operative word being decent. you are not even going to gross a decent living much less netting one and you are not making a land payment. it is an awesome hobby but you should be honest and upfront with people about the true economics.

[@donaldmiller8629]

superma74 , Does it not depend upon everyone's personal circumstances ? In my case I have to have a place to live. My brother lives in a seniors apartment. I have decided to live on 6.5 acres. My brother is allotted ONE parking space. I have a three car garage.. If my brother parks his car a little too far to one side or the other , he is going to hear about it ! Me ? I park anywhere I want to . My mortgage payment is a little less than one third of his apartment rent. I can do sustainable farming or not ! If I do nothing I still have a place o live. I do not need a six figure income. Although I would not mind one. lol It pretty much depends upon what you want to do and how you do it. I have heard of a story about three brothers . Dis-satisfied with the way they were working and living. So they sold their bicycles and wristwatches for the money to startup their business. Just imagine how much money they had. With no land at all , they began raising chickens and quail in their apartment to sell to farmers. I fully expect that nearly every penny made was used to expand their business. Oh , yeah , they started their business in 1978 . The business grew, expanded, they got some land and expanded even more. Finally at some point they split up with each pursuing his own interests. The least ambitious of the three brothers is only a multi-multi millionaire. The other two are both multi-billionaires. One of the brothers is classed as the wealthiest farmer in the world. Of course they have all progressed far beyond mere farming now. Where did these brothers accomplish this ? In China of all places . Who knows what one can accomplish with determination ? I wish that I were rich , just isn't going to cut it.

[@superma74]

you are absolutely right. as I said it is a wonderful hobby/lifestyle. I raise heritage hogs for my family to get top quality known source meat. it is just that sustainable farming is not a good way to make a living if that is your objective. if you want a great lifestyle filled with personal satisfaction and non-monetary rewards then it is great. but if you are a young man looking for a way to earn a living to support a family and making money is your priority then sustainable farming is not my recommended route. just look at john's numbers. he will not even gross enough money from the farm to support his family. he makes his money from that plus books, facebook, tours, consulting etc. he is by far the tops in his field and I love keeping up with his activities. btw I have a degree in agricultural economics with a master's in finance. sustainable farming is just not a lucrative endeavor.

[@Big_Guwop713]

Donald Miller cry me a fucking river

[@buggyridge]

Been there and done that a few decades with Tamworth hogs. If you have the demographics, marketing and profit is easy. Pork is under $2/pound in rural areas now raised by small farmers like me. We also raise grass fed beef for a dollar more. No market for that either in rural areas currently. If you want to make good money on small farms, grow quality hops for a local microbrew.

[@dr_virulentepidemic8200]

Watched a few episodes interesting you have a nice personality I subscribed hopefully I'll get to see more I love to watch the pigs 🐖

[@robertgoss4842]

Super video. Really like your style; a ton of information, delivered succinctly and with good spirit. Will be watching for your material.

[@Bojangles6]

You make a good video. Thanks for posting! I'm doing pastured mulefoot hogs and heritage breed free ranged broilers. Idk if I'll do the straight breed broilers again, they just don't gain like the Cornish/rocks.

[@farmmarketing]

That's what I'm going to talk about in my next broiler video about breed selection, stay tuned.

[@johndon74]

Great video John.....missed watching you recently so glad to get my fix again.

[@farmmarketing]

Glad to have you along for the ride.

[@joeyd151]

Love the new model. Keep it up. My family and I enjoy watching you grow.

[@NichollsSense]

Time for sunscreen, John! Springtime surprised both of us this year as I also have a little sunburn. Lol

[@libertymicrofarm6032]

Hey John, where‘be you been? Haven’t seen any videos lately. Miss your videos!!

[@homesteadinglife1017]

Great education video. Thank you. I learned so much from it. I will be putting to use soon some of the content that I learned.

[@bigjimmyu]

Hey John! Still watching!

[@mascatrails661]

Look at you using some nice rim lighting and balancing your face with something in the background... someone's videos are looking better! lol. $1500 per retail pig is impressive! Would love to see how you get there - what cuts you have the butcher break it down to and how you price and market each product/cut.

[@audsp98]

Have you ever talked about your Hops growing or do you plan on getting into those details like you do for chickens and pigs?

[@tellitlikeitiso4192]

For pastured pigs ,you feed no grain , if no grain how long does it take to get a hog to butcher size .

[@brianmiller4282]

Wow you can really see the difference in prices depending on what area you are from, I would love to get that kind of prices for my half and whole pigs

[@donaldmiller8629]

Brian Miller , There are not many poor people in Conn.

[@vociferonheraldofthewinter2284]

I live in Arizona. Most everything is imported. The local food that is produced here is expensive as hell. In Texas I paid $600 for half a steer. Here, it's $1,700. Kind of makes me sick, but in Texas, the steer raise themselves off pasture. Here, you have to irrigate everything and feed them. It makes it much rougher when nature isn't lending a hand. Because I don't get help from nature, the hens that my aunt allows to live on her property in exchange for eggs (free for her) cost me a mint to feed and water. That woman has more than a hundred hens, gets eggs, and doesn't feed them ANYTHING! Heck, they even save her money on pest control! The dog offers the hens protection. The only work she does is gathering the eggs. I'm so jealous!

[@trumanlamberson5231]

My pigs will be in the pasture too.. I need some help

[@fastsetinthewest]

Hee Haw. I raised pigs a long time ago. We got about 20 cent per pound. I used York - Hampshire cross. Proven to be number 1 in marbling. Price was like a yo yo. As you are aware, Smithfield Ham is owned by the Chinese. Plus the Chinese have bought grain elevators. Wish you the best. Always like to see young people learn and relearn old strategic farm practices. Teagards...

[@torigoldstein6841]

Enjoy all your videos and as a fellow high tax paying Connecticutian I will be seeking you out to expand my own chickens and pig farming from hobby to “for profit”.

[@petergriffin3127]

When people buy a whole or 1/2 are the pigs still going to USDA butcher? How much cheaper is butchering when not USDA?

[@MrTomatoFarmer]

So what was the final number? How much do you sell cuts for to gross $1,500 a pig?

[@carlosarodriguez7266]

boss a question which is more profitable chickens or pigs

[@skylinepastures8445]

How large are your paddocks in terms of acerage?

[@HeartinessApproach]

How big an area do 14 pigs take with each rotation?

[@actanonverba91]

60square meters... If they plow it up with in a week it's not enough.

[@ReinhardtTechnology]

I like the new look. I am looking forward to all the upcoming videos.

[@donrudnick3645]

That's a good question how do you get people to pay $1,500 for a pig that's a hell of a story you have to sell . Raising the pig is easy apart. Getting people to pay that much is the art.

[@vociferonheraldofthewinter2284]

And that's why I'm watching his videos. I can take care of animals, but making MONEY is where I suck.

[@tyed94]

what is the weight you normally raise your pigs too? and do you sell on the hoof wight for you wholes and halves or just the meat after butchering? thank you and great channel! I just started helping my grandmother who is doing pigs.

[@opengatefarmstead3609]

We grossed 5K on our litter this year. It was our first time having our own breeder pig and raising them from birth. If I could only raise one animal on the homestead it would be pigs. What's your favorite pork recipe?

[@farmmarketing]

I mean, I'm a minimalist. A big smoked ham then cooked in maple syrup and a good stout takes the prize every time.

[@opengatefarmstead3609]

@@farmmarketing I'll give maple syrup a try. I've done a brown sugar rub before.

[@bobbiethomas8309]

John buddy u r the man love the videos keep up the GREAT WORK I've learned ALOT

[@LetsCookingforPigs]

Fantastic video!

[@jamiescott5461]

Looking forward to all the new videos!

[@sdruiett]

John, Love the videos and the chicken tractor book. I also raise pigs and struggle with how much feed I need XX lbs./day or XX lbs/pig (weight). Can you help with this? Also, how old are your pigs when you process them? How much do they weigh?

[@actanonverba91]

Get two pigs separate from the the rest of herd.. Feed them recommended amount of food to weight.. If they are eating after 5 mins check what's left, if they take ten mins that's perfect 👌

[@ebenezerhomestead7243]

Thanks John! We love you, too, man :-)

[@lincsfencingandgardeningse9128]

Wow what size is your pigs to be getting 800 for as for a 5minth old pig in the UK we struggle to get £250

[@baileyboys7143]

Great content! Love the videos john.

[@Argie_758]

What gender do you buy?

[@stephenvandyke8014]

I live in ct also and I am looking to do pigs next year and and looking to get starter pigs wondering where you get yours

[@beaverrick9789]

Hey John, good to see you again.

[@semaphoreLock]

Hogs are selling for 50 bucks per hundred pounds. How in the world are you selling these for 1500$ each when the weight at slaughter is 250 lb average

[@chess747]

All you guys hating his figures are wrong, remember his small, he has customers who want organic free range, that they’ve seen, with their own eyes, so their willing to pay that little extra. I really don’t think it’s impossible, because he sells cuts, which would be better than the supermarket, as in quality, plus farmers market’s are quite profitable, especially if you have loyal customers, and most young people are very conscious and trendy of what they buy, so ticking all their boxes, as in organic, healthy and a local they know. Then they would be happy to pay that extra, also if you can do a deal with a high end restaurant, because a lot of top chef’s have egos, they’d be happy to pay a higher price, to boast in their marketing, about their restaurant. I think their is a lot of work in the business side of things, to make all of this happen. But being small, allows you more room to move, and have control of your business, compared to a big pig farmer, who has a middle man, and supermarket, fucking him over in price. Also I think the area you live in helps to, like if you live and farm, in a middle class neighbourhood, compared to a poorer area, who don’t care so much, about quality, they buy on quantity and price, just like all you can eat, so to speak.

[@sfc334]

Wildflowers? Gonna add honeybees?

[@ralphy1989]

You can buy a whole damn pig at the sale barn for 70 cents a pound

[@rgriffith2006]

2:00 Where do you find your farm hands. Very important and helpful information!

[@jjbowman4653]

R Griffith I volunteered at my local stable (there are many local stables and farms in my area that do the same thing) for a summer and was offered a summer job when they saw that I could do everything confidently and knew that I would ask questions when needed 🤷‍♀️ I was in grade ten at the time so around fourteen fifteen Not sure if that helps?

[@CliffsideStables]

Always enjoy your upbeat presentation style! Best wishes for 2018. Tim

[@miriambertram2448]

Do you have a list in order of the implementation. I'm new to the channel

[@serinabunch234]

Question I'm a little confused does the customer make payments the whole time their in your possession? Or does the customer pay once before they go to the slaughter house? Can you make a video of what transpires between you and the customer. Thank you for all the information,

[@unacamper9123]

"Where's John"? "He went to shit, and the Hogs ate him"!!............My Granpa alway said that.

[@michaelmason5440]

John I'm thinking on raising pigs forsale. But I also like getting involved with charities. I was thinking about doing pig roasts as a benifit. I was wondering if you could tell me how many people the average pig would feed. I'm hoping to sell tickets ahead of time and a local radio station would also help to get the word out. I could possible have up to 1000 people at $50 a ticket. That means I could raise $50,000 for Childrens cancer. Your thoughts.

[@juleejames9977]

Hooray for pigs! We are excited 🐷

[@tarekihaddaden9512]

Where do you get your pigs from?

[@inoutdoor4211]

Friends, not food.

[@Timberland-Farms]

Still liking your mahindra tractor??

[@CiecieNewson]

Love the toy pigs. PIGS in slow mo! Nice! Thanks again for sharing on the education. ~Smile!

[@SuperHank777]

I like the subscribe to see what my profit comment lol. Just subbed. Looking forward to more videos like these

[@farmmarketing]

Hey, glad to hear it! You know, trying to creatively play that KZbinr game.

[@samyhilton1]

I live in ct and wanted to buy a pig do you sell?

[@ournovascotiaadventure1619]

You going to get bees with all the upcoming flowers? Thanks for the info

[@djjammindave]

WTF!!!!! what camera are you using for this marvelous images???????????????????????

[@reddirtfarm7704]

WE love pigs !!!Berkshires that is!! keep up the hard work! !!!

[@StoneHedgeAcres]

Missed you looking forward to more videos!,

[@guyanaplaces592]

cheryl easterbrook kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHrWdnumhcljm6s

[@dwaynehall2497]

i liked for the algorithms and the avocado toast.

[@brianphilbrook5262]

I like the way you are doing this.

[@johnwaterman6759]

I wish we could sell a whole pig for $800 where I'm at. Pastured or not, that just doesn't happen in Missouri. With all the pig farmers in southwest Missouri and northern Arkansas, there is too much competition.

[@farmmarketing]

I hear ya. That's where you have to play with the financial sliders at your disposal. Cutting feed costs, cutting labor costs somehow, getting cheaper piglets. You'd have to play with the math and your production method. And sometimes, the market just isn't there.

[@donaldmiller8629]

John Waterman , A lot depends upon your area. Ct. is the kind of place where a hobby farmer might wear a sports jacket with an ascot all weekend and still consider himself as a hobby farmer. Plus , there are not many poor people in CT. In addition I remember living east of Los Angeles where the folks considered half an acre to be a ranch ! Perhaps an idea for you. Try selling your pigs in St. Louis. where there may not be so many pig farmers.

[@247rug]

I'm in Missouri and agree with the comment about selling hogs. I haven't given up on any of it, still figuring.

[@zaspalfamilyfarms6754]

Im lucky getting 220 for a whole hog here in iowa.

[@duanedean3256]

I think a lot of it depends on your marketing. If you seek out people that are willing to only pay you $200 for a whole pig, then that's all you'll ever achieve. If you seek out people that want pastured and are willing to pay you $800 - $1000 a hog, then you found your market niche. I would try with all my might to get a good pasture going for them, treat them humanly, drop out the grain feed and then show them what you got on how they live in their short life. It probably. Won't be easy at first, but it's the pastured side your looking for, not the pork market because they don't pay. Why else do you see pig farmers selling thousands of hogs a day or a week. Marketing, seek out the ones that want pastured pork and then show them why you get what your asking for. Oh and don't pay for the butchering and processing, that's up to the buyer.

[@Tippu666]

What you are doing is very humane. Most pigs are bred in overcrowded factory farms. Since these factory farms are filthy and packed tightly with animals, disease and infection run rampant. All this is done for the sole reason of greed as pigs are a cheap source of meat.

[@hillbilly24]

Tippu Sultan I’ve ran a industrial hog farm before. And your mostly right it is a business it’s gotta make money. I wouldn’t say that disease runs rampant. I would also like to say that if all pork was raised like this then you wouldn’t be able to afford very much of it. I’ve raised hogs in a similar fashion as shown in the video but only one at a time for my own family. It is much better but much more labor intensive.

[@richardbohlingsr3490]

Looks like you have a plan.

[@Avilacrazy]

Awesome stuff

[@nancyfahey7518]

It's just great watching your success.

[@farmmarketing]

Thank you Nancy

[@debbieedwards5093]

Hey, your pigs have straight tails, lol

[@dehavenfamilyfarm]

Just found your channel. Great video! New sub from me!!

[@nannamoonpiee]

Good Job!!

[@sheilamclaughlin963]

Looking at bees?

[@gkiferonhs]

Haven't heard from you for a while, hope all is going well.

[@hart796]

Another great video. Ty vm!

[@anthonyakana4518]

Great works

[@cubanumero1]

as soon as i saw 1500$ for a pig this video made no sense.. cant be real numbers..

[@Big_Guwop713]

Alex Sanchez you’re slow af Sanchez

[@cubanumero1]

@@Big_Guwop713 maybe so but rather be slow then dumb af.

[@matts7975]

One requirement, hipsters that are willing to pay up.

[@antency]

bruh you can give them shit to eat done

[@DustinDean]

Great seeing your videos

[@Horse237]

I like your video. I hope you are making a living on hops and chickens. Those hog numbers suck. Most commercial beer in the US has not even had a whiff of a hop ten miles away. I assume you have awesome beer. Feeding sprouted grain to chicken and hogs saves money.

[@1977mv]

You are a badass!

[@VeraMikusovaRTTPL]

Do you really think it is necessary to kill all those kids for money?

[@farmmarketing]

I don’t kill kids, not sure what you’re getting at here.

[@darkdaughter5966]

I LOVE PIGGS!!!!!!

[@amansdesain6854]

👍

[@gangrail]

piggies!

[@tellitlikeitiso4192]

Just over priced pork and. Chicken

[@GGreen-yf2xk]

Your pigs are beautiful ALIVE. Only a pig would eat pork. Life is precious!

[@jonahferguson4462]

Using the lives of sentient beings simply for your own profit. Nice

[@chickenfriedbobcat6090]

Jonah Ferguson Jonah, being vegan and virtue signaling won't help you to get laid. It just shows your a beta male. Now gimme your lunch money.

[@spiritwolf9194]

dude, i disliked this vid because of the click-baity style and low value/time. put some real value into thse vids.

[@carothehonestpeanut]

"This is all great" I would have once thouht. But now I can only think unnecessary :(

[@farmmarketing]

I'm not sure what you mean here.

[@farmmarketing]

Oh, you're a vegan. I don't get why vegans seek out animal videos to comment on. Can you please enlighten me?

[@carothehonestpeanut]

John Suscovich Hello :3 Well I commented because this is a video about animals who are going to at one point end up as food, but mostly the real reason of my comment is that there is a bigger chance that people who would want to go vegan are people who care for animals and want to see them happy, like I once wanted it to be. And like I said even though I'm vegan now I know this would look ideal in my eyes back then. But knowing it's bad for the planet, my health or the biggist one for me, that it is unnecessary. All that is what makes me want to share my thoughts.

[@joshblick]

I was vegan once. Worst three days of my life. John's animals have it better than any big commercial farm. His pigs are treated better than some dogs. A good life with a quick kill is a pretty good thing for anyone. It's not bad for the planet, it's part of life. Go tell a bear that it's "unnecessary", you nut.

[@carothehonestpeanut]

Josh Blick I'm not telling a bear, that would be silly now would it not since a bear has no moral agency and kill to survive. I'm telling humans, since they can actually live a healthy happy life without ending others life, it is not a nessecity like it is for the bear you are speaking of. Therefore it is for our taste pleasure, and it is a unnessasary thing to be killing sentient beings for..we would not say killing a dog is fine as long as it had a good life cause we know the dog wants to live and have that right to. I'm not saying he does not treat his animals right while they are alive, some places do kind a care for their animals, but where is the care in sending them to slaughter? They are born to be profit and nothing more. And we a talking billions of animals..

[@georgbrauchle199]

You are really good with money 👍🏻 why don‘t you leave the poor animals be and do other business?

[@jrbailey3208]

Georg Brauchle " Poor animals?" He's making a quality living as humans have done for at least the last ten thousand years! I do believe you really need to take a moment or three and examine your worldview, because it flies in the face of how he actually makes a living, how well his animals are treated, and how humans have actually survived throughout history! Please wake up and put the politically correct diatribes aside!

[@GarretB123]

Agreed JR! John's pastured pigs are treated with the utmost care and respect. Much better than any dry lot raised or caged animal. We do the same with our pastured pigs. They live a great life outside, fresh air, fresh pasture, great food and are well taken care of. They just have one bad day.

[@jakolby6511]

GarretB123 not as much as mine.