Why Buckwheat May Become Your Favorite Crop to Grow for Pastured Pigs

[@DitzyDragoncat]

Your videos are fantastic in quality! Keep up the good work and look forward to following you as you continue your journey :3

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

I appreciate that. Thank you for watching.

[@archeanna1425]

I'm in a climate that's very different from yours so I won't be doing exactly what you do but I really enjoy hearing what works for you. Thanks.

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

Mind me asking where you live generally?

[@bns8594]

I want to do the same here at my farm in Waimea Hawaii. Grain feed is so expensive. I can't afford it. So I've been pasturing my pigs and trying to get as much spent grain that I can and green waste to feed my pasture pigs. Also macadamia nuts. I love your channel and want to learn more from you about cover crop to improve my grass pastures.

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

Buckwheat is a great alternative to grain! Chicory too. If you can find a dairy distributor or dairy farmer you can use dairy to supply the protein and lysine! Keep it up.

[@SolutreanSpear]

So much incredible information! I really appreciate this channel and the shared knowledge. Thank you!

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

Thank you so much for watching!

[@rochrich1223]

On the garden scale, you can plant it dense to smother weeds. The plant equivalent to tarping.

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

We can use it for a similar purpose on larger scale as well.

[@Gary-hr3sg]

Kingwood,West Virginia has an annual Buckwheat Festival.

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

That’s interesting. I bet that would be fun to go to with Ferdinand our boar!

[@DoItYourselfGardening]

Thank you for your time and information from experience!! I’m liking to use it as a soil builder for my perennial stuff plus it’s just looks pretty honestly. Hopefully can make some buckwheat bread and other items with it as well! I love how much stuff you try and share!!

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for watching!

[@DoItYourselfGardening]

@ I almost wish I had pigs so I could use it for more than my backyard gardening but for me the information about soil regeneration you’ve done is very important and you just deserve a lot of credit for that I believe cuz whether it’s pig or deer fields this stuff I’m noticing is becoming more prevalent and that excites me for the future of earths soil as a whole!!!

[@Junzar56]

Cool! This is interesting!

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

I'm glad you found it interesting! Thank you for watching.

[@andrewrivera4609]

THANK YOU 4 sharing such good information on Buckwheat, in Spain they also raise a famous Black Pig and they have some old trees 500 years old that give Acorns , Pigs love to eat them and double + their weight when they do so, these acorns are high in omega 3 fatty acid and protein, I know chestnuts take about 3 to 4 years to harvest, I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to grow some acorn trees around, besides it gives the meat a súper flavour.

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

We graze pigs on acorns when we have them and have planted a few chestnuts as Well!

[@erbauungstutztaufgnade1875]

Concerning the quality level of the diversity of amino acids - buckwheat is to my knowledge pretty much on the same level as Quinoa and Amaranth! On the highest level of protein quality a crop can be..

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

Yes it’s great. Amaranth is a pain here in Mississippi, we have a lot of the spiny amaranth aka pigweed. Great grain but the small size and hard seed doesn’t seem to be processed by pigs very well.

[@marcushatley5589]

Great update

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

Thank you!

[@raraavis7782]

Buckwheat is really tasty. I've always wondered, why it never really took off as a 'healtfood', these last two decades or so. It has a pleasant, nutty taste, it's very nutritious, it's a native crop here in Western Europe, gluten free for those who care about that...but no, people would rather eat imported Quinoa for three times the price. Sighs.

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

For sure.

[@worndown8280]

Buckwheat (Soba) noodles are pretty common in Japanese cooking. Ramen and Udon both use Soba when they are traditionally made.

[@raraavis7782]

@worndown8280 Cool, I didn't know that! I'll have to look for those, when I go to an Asian grocery store next time.

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

That’s interesting @worndown8280

[@CarterLong-b3n]

I like buckwheat pancake mix. I am in minnesota, and it comes from Quebec. I add a bit of peanut butter powder to the batter just to add some extra nutty flavor.

[@mckennahicks5259]

I’m gonna broadcast buckwheat this year

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

Nice. Let me know how it goes.

[@ClevelandBaldwin-w2n]

That buckwheat is very good then little pigs are trying to breed

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

Well they are trying but not very productive.

[@rochrich1223]

I was wondering if buckwheat would take in the hot-wire training pen? I was guessing not, even if it had some downtime. The deep mulch would prevent it. Sweet potato might be worth a casual experiment. Kick down to the dirt and drop one in. The vines wouldn't mind the mulch and the semi-shade.

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

Many times it would grow in there. It would definitely be worth a try if we has some space in there for it to grow. Right now there’s a lot of mulch as you say, but as it decomposes it may very well work if the time of the year is right as well.

[@jamespatrickbonsubre4743]

Am always fascinated by your techniques. My father grows pigs conventionally in the Philippines but was devastated by the African Swine Fever. Did you have any issues regarding sickness and diseases on pigs on free-range pigs?

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

We generally do not have any problems with sickenss in our pigs.

[@OakandTrestleFarm]

Great video! Thank you for the great info. What is your seeding rate for buckwheat?

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

I add it to a mix. Usually in a mix for grazing with pigs I do it at about 20 lbs per acre. 8-10 pounds in a different mix. Buckwheat tends to out grow other crops.

[@OakandTrestleFarm]

@ Thank you!

[@bettinaripperger4159]

Is buckwheat good for sheep 🐑?

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

I don’t have any experience with sheep and buckwheat.

[@arthurlefebvre6735]

I want to raise pigs

[@danbrown2364]

Have u ever had a aggressive pig before

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

Yes, but not for very long.

[@danbrown2364]

@DowdleFamilyFarms let me guess u fixed that problem with a 45acp didn't u

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

I use a much smaller caliber usually, but yes. I processed her.

[@bettinaripperger4159]

Aggressive = 🥓

[@danbrown2364]

​@@bettinaripperger4159 😂😂😂