Pigs

  PIGS

 

Our pigs come to our farm at around eight weeks old, when they weigh about 50 pounds. Our pigs are various mixes of heritage breeds. Pigs are naturally curious and playful, they also LOVE to dig. We try to appeal to their “piggishness” by rotating the pigs through our fields and forest so that they have fresh forage, plenty of space to exercise, and room

to explore. We employ our pigs, and their love of digging, to turn our garden(they fertilize while they till to!), and to manage invasive plant species on our land.



Our son moving the pigs into the forest, where they work to clear unwanted brush and invasive plant species.

Our Pigs eat locally grown grain, local raw milk, cheese, and whey, excess vegetables from local farms, and grass and roots from our pastures and forest. We have opted to feed our animals locally grown (not organic) grain for several reasons:

1. Most organic grain is grown in China, Canada or (best case) the Midwest. Our food is grown 20 minutes down the road, which means it travels far fewer miles to our farm.
2. We support local farmers and commerce.
3. The grain we feed our animals is freshly ground.
4. Organic feed costs 2 ½ times more and pigs eat a lot. The cost of feeding organic would be prohibitively high on a small, local farm like ours.
5. You are what you eat- our pigs eat well and taste amazing.

6. 

   Pigs on grass are "happier than a pig in s**t."

    We do not use artificial hormones or routine antibiotics. In a few rare cases we have had to use antibiotics. We will not allow our animals to suffer, and when it is possible to restore an animal to health using a therapeutic dose of antibiotics, we will administer them. However, our animals are well cared for, and have required any kind of medical intervention fewer than a handful of times.

7. 

   Pig herd foraging on winter grass

   We use our pigs' natural curiosity to load them into the trailer when it is time for them to go to market, making loading (typically a stressful event)completely stress-free. Our USDA inspected processing facility  is only a 15 minute drive from the farm.   Our processor is Animal Welfare Approved, and holds a NOFA-NY organic handler certified.  Our pigs are usually between 190 lbs. and 250 lbs hanging weight when they go to market, depending upon our customers' preferences.  We usually sell our pigs whole, by the half, or in primal cuts. Most of our pigs go to restaurants (a large percentage to restaurants in Manhattan and Brooklyn, NY), though we are open to selling to families and love to see our meat stay local in our valley.







Pigs can be fun playmates!

 







Who Are We?

CLIMBING TREE FARM

Formerly, Bar None Ranch, of Berlin, NY, we are now Climbing Tree Farm, of New Lebanon. We raise PASTURED PORK, POULTRY, EGGS, and LAMB. We keep our animals true to their instincts- letting our pigs dig, our chickens range, our sheep graze. We feed local grain, graze rotationally on pasture and are working towards silvo-pasturing. We work with local raw milk dairies to feed our pigs whey. We are conscientious stewards of the land, and our animals.

You can find us at:

The Lebanon Valley Farmer's Market- New Lebanon, NY
Cricket Creek Farm- Williamstown, MA

Foragers Market - Brooklyn, NY

Castle Street Cafe- Great Barrington, MA

On menus throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan, NY

For more information:

Schuyler and Colby Gail

436 West Hill Rd.

New Lebanon, NY , 12125

(413) 884-3446

bigbug9@juno.com

Our five year old- providing inspiration for our farm name.