Join Our Journey: Better Farming, Better Flavor

Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful moms who are often the ones doing the daily work of sourcing healthy food for your families. We are truly honored to be the farm you trust to help nourish your loved ones. We hope you have a beautiful day filled with much-deserved rest and celebration.

10 Differences Between Grocery Store Pork and Watson Farms Pastured Pork! 🐖

Welcome to this week’s edition of Pasture Posts!

Tomorrow will be the weekly “moving day” for the two groups of pigs we have in the paddocks right behind the Farm Store. It’s a busy morning for our team. We head out with two tractors: one equipped with a loader to move the heavy self-feeder and the drinker, and another pulling the Grain-o-vator. If you’ve never seen one, it’s basically a tractor-powered feed truck that we use to refill the feeders with our non-GMO feed once they’re settled in the new paddock.

Here I am filling a feeder back in July 2019. 

The pigs are always excited when they see the crew; they know fresh pasture is coming! Once we do a final check on the perimeter fence to make sure everything is just right, we open the gates. They run through into the new grass. 

That paddock has had about 4 weeks rest since the last time pigs were on it, which is the “secret sauce” to our operation. That rest time allows the grass to recover and the soil life to thrive—it’s the core of how we regenerate this ground that was once starved for fertility.

The Great Pork Comparison

We believe all pigs should be raised like that. Unfortunately, that is not how 98-99% of U.S. pigs live today. While we work with a small network of trusted partner producers for the farrowing (birthing) side of things, they adhere to the exact same regenerative standards we do.

Here is the stark contrast between how we do things and the industrial “norm”:

Rain, Roots, and a Pork Blowout!

What a weekend it has been! We want to start off by saying a massive “Thank You” to everyone who came out for the Ag+Art Tour. If you were here, you know the morning started off a bit chilly with some early rain that had us wondering if we’d be giving tours at all!

But the rain let up, the sun peeked through, and we ended up with a fantastic turnout. It was truly encouraging to see so many people interested in seeing exactly where their food comes from. We did a record number of tours and met folks who traveled from as far as Beaufort and Greenville just to spend the day with us here in Lowrys.

Sausage Drawing Winner 

During the tour, we held a drawing for 10 pounds of our Mild Sausage. We had 36 entries, and we are excited to announce that Keith A. from Rock Hill is our winner! Keith, we will be contacting you soon so you can get that sausage cooking.

Why Pastured Pork Matters

During the tours yesterday, many of you were surprised to learn a sobering statistic: over 97% of pork in the United States is raised on concrete in total confinement. Most pigs never see a blade of grass, feel the sun on their backs, or get the chance to do what they were created to do: root.

Pigs are natural foragers. On our farm, they live in what we call a “savanna” environment—paddocks with plenty of shade and a buffet of volunteer forages like ryegrass and lambs-quarter. This lifestyle doesn’t just make for a happier pig; it results in a vastly different nutritional profile and flavor for the consumer.

If you want to see exactly how our pigs live, check out one of our all-time most popular videos below. It’s a simple walk-through of a paddock where you can see them enjoying the green grass and sunshine:

THE PASTURED PORK BLOWOUT EVENT

May 3 – May 31 (While Supplies Last)

To celebrate the season and get our nutrient-dense pork into more freezers, we are officially launching our Pastured Pork Blowout! These deals are live starting today and will run through the end of the month.

Please note that these bundle discounts are on top of the already built-in savings you get when buying in bulk.

Featured Bundle Deals:

Innovation in the Broiler Field + Ag+Art Tour 🐓☀️

Hello friends,

April is wrapping up here in Chester, though it’s looking a little more dusty than vibrant lately. We are staring down a significant drought, so the pastures aren’t exactly the lush green we’d hope for this time of year. That said, the grass is holding its own and the cattle are doing just fine. We’re just staying observant and hoping for a good soaking rain as we head into May.

🎨 Mark Your Calendars: The Ag+Art Tour is Next Saturday!

We are thrilled to announce that Watson Farms will once again be a featured stop on the South Carolina Ag+Art Tour for Chester County!

The tour takes place Saturday, May 2, from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

If you aren’t familiar with the tour, it is the nation’s largest free, self-guided tour of farms and markets that features local artisans at every stop. It’s a wonderful opportunity for you to see first-hand where your food comes from, watch artists in action, and enjoy a day in the country with the whole family.

What to expect at Watson Farms:

• Wagon Rides: We’ll be running the tractor and wagon to give you a front-row seat to our regenerative grazing practices.
• Meet the Animals: See our grass-fed cattle, pastured pigs, and our newest flocks of broiler chickens in action.
• Local Artisans: We will have several talented local creators stationed at the farm showcasing their work.
• Farm Store: Our store will be open and fully stocked with your favorite pasture-raised meats, honey, and more.

It’s a “rain or shine” event, so grab your boots and come see us! You can find the full map of Chester County stops on the official Ag+Art website.

🏠 New Chicken Houses: From Construction to Deployment

If you remember back in Pasture Posts #264, we shared that our team was in the middle of constructing two brand-new pasture broiler houses. We are happy to report that these houses are officially finished and deployed!

Our team did an incredible job with the assembly and setup. Seeing these structures out on the pasture—especially knowing they travel through fields that are just a stone’s throw away from the old, empty confinement turkey barn—is a constant reminder of why we transitioned to this regenerative model.

The birds are already moved in and are loving their “salad bar” of fresh grass and bugs, with the houses being moved to a fresh patch of ground every single day.

🚿 High-Tech Comfort: The Solar-Powered Sprinkler System