STAPLES FARM

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As you might imagine, this is one of the busiest times of the year for farmers and ranchers. Father’s Day was no exception, marked by the arrival of ten more ewes, weighing and weaning of Snowy’s litter of piglets, and moving of the rest of the pigs to new paddocks. At 42 days old, Snowy’s piglets averaged 30.8 pounds—over 8 pounds heavier than our next best litter. It will be exciting to see if this group continues to set new records. Next weekend, all the pigs will move to the field that we planted on May 18th. It is amazing to see the different varieties of plants growing so well together, and the honeybees are loving the Buckwheat. With the arrival of these ten ewes, our small flock of hair sheep now totals 22. They range from one to two years old and, with any luck, will bring us some lambs in March 2027. The new arrivals are gentle and have hearty appetites. Like our other sheep, they’ll be rotationally grazed using Nofence virtual-fence collars. I’ll share more about that process once both the sheep and our family have learned the system. Finally, we were grateful to receive some rain over the past few days. While it’s enough to guarantee a second cutting of hay, we remain well behind on rainfall for the year. Here’s hoping the forecasts for a wetter-than-normal summer prove accurate. -Leo

It’s no secret our breeding and farrowing operation has faced its share of challenges. We initially chose artificial insemination over keeping a boar, and although it started well, we had no success with the second group of gilts. Farrowing brought its own setbacks: one gilt wouldn’t conceive, and two others had pelvic canals too small for birthing. Our veterinarian notes that this issue is becoming increasingly common in show pigs. In December, we purchased two boars from a respected Berkshire breeder known for both show-quality and meat pigs. Our first litter sired by the older boar, Woody, arrived on May 10, 2026. The breeder assured us Woody would add height and length to our piglets, and so far, the results speak for themselves. We weigh the piglets weekly for four weeks and don’t wean them until they’re at least six weeks old. The litter born on May 10 had an average birth weight of 0.7 pounds higher than any previous litter, and at four weeks, they averaged an impressive 22.5 pounds—far surpassing our last two litters, which averaged 14.7 and 16.5 pounds. For comparison, the USDA reports commercial piglets average 15 to 17 pounds. Some credit for these incredible numbers goes to Snowy, an exceptional mother who successfully raised all eight piglets. Hopefully, this fall will see more litters sired by Woody and our first from our younger boar, Buzz Lightyear. -Leo

In 1987, the entire dairy cow herd was exported to Mexico through a USDA program aimed at addressing milk oversupply. For the next 39 years, no ruminant animals grazed our farm. That changed today as we welcomed 12 Katahdin-Dorper cross lambs to the farm. The five rams (now wethers) will be raised for meat, while the seven ewes form the foundation of our new sheep flock. With a Nofence virtual fence system, the sheep will rotate to fresh grazing areas daily. We're eager to observe how both the sheep and the land thrive under our regenerative grazing system. Earlier this week, we constructed a training paddock within a small section of the April test plot. The lambs eagerly devoured the oat heads before sampling the brassicas in the mix. They seem content, though still a little bewildered by their unfamiliar environment. We've watched them closely throughout the day. With much-needed rain in the forecast, we'll be checking on them at least once more before morning. This truly gives new meaning to counting sheep. -Leo

On April 9, 2026, Travis and I planted a 1-acre test plot with a diverse mix: Forage Oats, Yellow Peas, Buckwheat, Chicory, Forage Collards, Forage Kale, Red Mammoth Fodder Beets, and Berseem Clover. We also added leftover alfalfa, GA9908 red clover, and Daikon Radish seed that we cleaned out of the no-till drill last fall. Today, we built eight paddocks on the acre, which should provide ample grazing until the two acres of pig pasture planted on May 16, 2026, are ready. Reviewing the April 9th planting, you'll notice many cool-weather-loving plants flourishing. The photos show how the mix created a multi-tiered canopy, enabling each variety to flourish. The oats have just reached the dough stage, and the first things the pigs sought out were the oats. We're confident that pasture-raised pigs on a diverse, high-quality forage diet produce the best-tasting, highest-quality meat. We hope you enjoy our posts and videos. Today's video features Andi and Travis walking our boar, Woody, and two gilts into their new paddock. This is an example of stress-free pig moving at its best. Please let us know if there's something that you'd like to learn about our operation or see featured in a video. Finally, stay tuned; some big changes are coming to Staples Farm this week. -Leo

Some of you may remember that Jon and I attended the inaugural OSU Extension Grazing School on May 11 and 12. This morning, I received an email from one of the instructors, Dr. Josh Campbell, who sent a photo of Jon, another participant, and me collecting forage to assess how many pounds per acre were available for livestock. The class was outstanding, and we highly recommend it to anyone involved in grazing livestock. In other farm news, staff members from the ECDYSIS Foundation visited today to launch our participation in Project Avalanche. They collected soil and forage samples, tested the soil's water-holding capacity, observed and documented birds and other wildlife, and gathered insects from the test areas. Tomorrow, we'll receive training to collect samples for the program's second and third years. I'll share the results of the 2026 tests as soon as they're available. In 2027, I will serve as the Avalanche Coordinator for the program in this region of Oklahoma. Please reach out if you or a farmer you know might be interested. -Leo