STAPLES FARM

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One of the biggest challenges for pasture-based pig farmers is equipment mobility. Most livestock equipment manufacturers design waterers, feeders, shelters, and electric fence energizers with little consideration for portability. In 2026, we are committed to making all our pig equipment easy to move between paddocks, streamlining daily chores and improving animal welfare. Last weekend, we took the first step by designing and building a mobile, solar-powered electric energizer system. The 100-watt solar setup is mounted on 2.5-inch pipe skids and can accommodate two solar panels. Previously, you may have seen this system enclosed in a plastic box on the ground. The new setup is easy to move using our zero-turn mower. A week ago, we worked with a local welder to create a skid design for our pig waterers. When left directly on the ground, the waterers collected dirt and were easily tipped over by the pigs. With the new design, the pigs can comfortably stand on the grating to drink. Next, we plan to build a pipe skid for the bulk feeders to make them easier to move and keep dirt out of the feed trough. Elsewhere on the farm, this morning we outfitted the rest of our flock (now 27 sheep) with Nofence collars. For now, they are in a training paddock, and we will expand the virtual fence as they finish grazing each section. The sheep adapted quickly to the collars, and next week will mark the first real test as we move them to a new grazing area. The Nofence system continuously tracks our sheep's locations, sends alerts if any leave the designated area, and lets us manage grazing rotation without building physical fences. We can even guide the flock from one paddock to another using the virtual system. It's fascinating to observe their movement patterns throughout the day. The accompanying photo is a screenshot from this afternoon. Finally, we encourage everyone to watch the documentary "Groundswell," which presents a compelling look at regenerative agriculture practices around the world. Available on Amazon Prime, Groundswell highlights the stark differences between industrial and regenerative farming. Like the farmers and ranchers featured in the film, our top priority remains building healthy soil, the true foundation of life on Earth. -Leo

Our initial plan was to start with a flock of 20 ewe lambs, but we ended up buying 12 lambs (7 ewes and 5 wethers) from one farm and 10 mature ewes from another. The mature quickly learned to respect the electric fence, giving us confidence they’ll transition easily to our Nofence virtual fence system. We are so pleased with the mature ewes that this morning, we added 5 more ewe lambs from that farm. All but one of the 5 are offspring of our mature ewes. After a brief introduction, the new lambs began grazing with the rest of the flock. -Leo

Today, we began training the spring lambs to use their Nofence collars. Nofence is the world’s first commercial virtual fencing system, enabling us to manage our flock entirely through a convenient mobile app. Each animal wears a solar-powered collar that provides precise, real-time location data using multiple satellite networks and HerdNetTM cellular technology. With the app, we can easily set virtual boundaries for grazing areas, and the Nofence system handles the rest. When livestock approach the edge of the designated area, their collars emit an audio warning that stops as soon as they turn back. If an animal crosses the boundary, the collar delivers a mild shock to encourage them to return. A few lambs initially went outside the boundary when we activated the collars, but they quickly learned and returned. Over the next week, the flock will remain in the training pasture as we closely monitor their adaptation and progress. Incorporating managed grazing into our farming practices fills a key gap in our regenerative agriculture approach. Staples Farm is a proud member of the Nofence Partners program. The program allows us to offer a discount code to anyone who wishes to purchase Nofence products. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] if you are interested. -Leo Image of the six principles of regenerative farming by AgriCaptuerCO2 available online at https://agricaptureco2.eu/the-six-principles-of-regenerative-farming-why-are-they-important/

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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