how to load reluctant pigs & explaining strange USDA butcher rules
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
- It's time to load the last of our winter pigs to haul them to the butcher. Loading pigs is almost never easy, and this batch was especially difficult. I show some tricks for getting pigs to go onto the trailer and talk about USDA slaughterhouse requirements for unloading pigs, and the difference between USDA butchers and custom exempt butchers. I also cover our difficult decision to start using an electric cattle prod to help get the pigs moving, and whether the use of cattle prods is humane. Finally, I explain some of the strange rules involved with having meat processed at a USDA butcher facility.
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I am a new owner of a small USDA certified facility near Ithaca NY and I really appreciate this video. Its hard to describe how much more than just cutting meat it is to get from farm to customer. Love the videos, come see us at Cudlins some time
I have not read all the comments but here is a suggestion on how to move a pig:
Put a five gallon bucket over the pigs head and you can back them up in any direction you want. No wrestling, no shocking, no kidding. I have taught this to 4-Hers for thirty years and everyone is amazed at the simplicity and effectiveness.
Good to know, thanks! Am buying my first piglets next spring, this will come in handy I'm sure. We slaughter at home and am glad we don't have to haul.
Pete is teaching me what I need to know to raise them, really looking forward to it.
One way to get stubborn pigs to go where you want is to hold a bucket covering their head. They want to back out of the bucket, then it's kind of like driving a fork lift with the pigs head being like the back of the fork lift.
I seriously cannot say enough good about your videos. I have learned so much in the past few days. Thank you so much for doing what you do!
Pete, since you requested in one of your videos, I’m watching all these commercials in gratitude for your fantastic video content. I was skipping everything until you advised us to invest the 30sec. Thank you
I'm slowly making my way thru every video of yours--and they are ALL more delightful and informational than the next! LOVE IT SO MUCH!
I use that same system to load pigs after some harrowing experiences. Only except I usually load them the night before, my pigs will often end up sleeping in the trailer making it easy. I also fashioned from pallets a feeding platform from which I feed my pigs that is at the same level as my trailer. This gets them used to going up to eat their whole lives, allows me to feed them from outside the pen, and reduces feed waste. Also, if I have trouble loading them, I can at least trap them on the feed platform so they can't get far. I always have trouble at the butcher end, and I liked what you said, its never the same twice. I ended up building a 6 foot wide ramp but its always an adventure. At the facility I go too I got reprimanded by the USDA inspector for pushing the pigs down the ramp after we could not get them unloaded. It always gets stressful as they don't come off and trailers are waiting behind us. I have never tried a cattle prod. Thanks for the videos, they are great!
Hi Ben, I like your pallet idea! Thanks for watching the channel!
@@JustaFewAcresFarm Your videos are great and the information is on point and practical. Appreciate your efforts in doing these videos, If you are a small farm, we are a micro farm that also does pigs, layers, and meat chickens. Hoping to get two dexter cattle for beef next year, although we are pretty nervous about making that jump due to the longer term commitment and higher dollars involved with our other livestock.
I haven’t raised hogs for over 20 years. When it rains, you can still smell it in that corner of the barn.
if you put a 5gal bucket over there head and just walk them backwards right off the trailer . this works very well I have had to do this a few times as I was alone unloading
it also works to load them on the trailer in a field when you just pull up with the trailer and you didn't get a chance to feed them in the trailer. As long as you have a good ramp and a 5 gal. bucket no stress loading easy and fast even with 1200 pound pigs
Do the sorting of the hogs ina seperate pen from their normal pen.Pigs will always want to go home. Put the trailor between the sorting pen and the home pen. Then they want to go home and load much easier . I used to load up a ramp into my pickup by myself.
Even better to lock them in the trailer the evening before.
They sleep in the trailer and when you drive relaxed, then will the butcher be amazed how easy your pigs are.
Its because they did not have stress from loading in the morning.
I'm retired pig farmer from Europe and found this because I had to be very early in the morning at the butcher.. I tried the art of smooth driving, with the goal that they were still laying when arrived.
I used to give them apples or other nice food in the evening in the trailer to make them happy.
I remember reading in an Old Farmers Almanac back in the '70's that if you put a bucket over a pigs head so the snout presses on the bottom and the bucket's big enough to cover their eyes, they'll push against the bucket. Just guide them where you want them to go. I admit I never tried it myself.
Pete don’t get down on your self making a mistake on the bushing. How many farmers do you know that would even try to do the mechanical work you do. I was a truck mechanic and I have learned some things from you about tractors. I am a old hobby farmer and enjoy seeing the animals. Hope you and your family have a great Thanksgiving we have a lot to be thankful for.
Some growers were using antibiotics as a means of faster weight gains. Same with beef.
Once on the slaughterhouse property it belongs to the USDA? Well that rule, like every other rule governing animal slaughter, is only in force if the facility inspector is aware of its existence. I had the unfortunate experience of off-loading a trailer of animals only to get a phone call from the butcher when I returned home informing me that I must return and take the animals back since the inspector had (incorrectly) diagnosed them with a contagious disease. While it's possible the butcher knew better, that is, any animals once accepted can only be butchered or condemned but never 'returned', many butchers are reluctant to argue anything with their facility inspector.
I eventually got the order rescinded but possibly only because the animals in question had previously been viewed and deemed acceptable for slaughter by both USDA and Cornell veterinarians - a determination that apparently had never been communicated to the facility inspector.
Hi John! That's surprising. You would think the "federal property" rule would be black and white (seems pretty simple) and all slaughterhouses would follow it in the same way. Our butcher is adamant that is the rule and he's been in the business for 40+ years, and I'm going on what he told me. But I have not gone through the USDA rules to verify it.
Pigs are pretty smart...they smelled "death" @ the butcher. Cattle prod works the same as dog sports collars...they get shocked once or twice and then they listen/obey when you use the beep.. no need to shock
prods are awesome. But you can use the rattle paddle too. But the stress getting them loaded is far more than a little shock to move out of an area. Always a great vid pete.
Wow what a breath of fresh air someone that talks the truth. I'm not a fan of dragging pigs off a trailer andd but a shocker is a better way let's face it as you pointed out its not different then an electric fence
Aren't the government agencies something special? Regulations galore and for what purpose? It's all about control. Keep up the good work. God Bless.
Steve Miner ,
The USDA rules were developed to accommodate the major meat producers. The intent is to reduce or even eliminate competition from small farmers that are producing better meat. Research the rules and you are likely to find that a certain percentage of antibiotics are allowed per 100,000 pounds of pork. Which of course would eliminate a small farmer that has only a few hundred pounds of pork meat. It for example would not affect Smithfield pork products but would prevent a small farmer from marketing their pork. It works the same way for chickens. The small farmer can not sell butchered chickens off farm. Plus they are restricted in the number of chickens they can sell per year. To go over that number requires a USDA license. Which costs so much that you do not have a profit unless you sell hundreds of thousands per year. Which precludes being able to raise the chickens organically. Not a problem if you are the size of Foster Farms. Last but not least , some USDA officials go to work for these large companies as VP's after they retire from their government positions. Would that be a hand in glove arrangement ?
The bottom line is that these Democrat government officials are in a very real way , business partners of big business.
The whole anti-government and anti-regulations thing has gone too far. They're not perfect by any means and probably can never be, but try living in a world without them. Most of the developing world does and you can see the consequences.
@@bardigan1 Perhaps I didn't word my statement correctly for the public to read out of context. The letter was written to the podcast speaker. That being said, I am in agreement with your statement too. I am not anti-government or anti-regulations. What I am against is having a government so large and glutenous that it caters to the huge beef producer's lobbyists to get rid of the small producers. It's all about the money Mike. Huge beef producers are spending a lot of money in an attempt to squash out the little guy. I'm a retired farmer myself and experienced first hand how the system works. I'm not bitter, I loved farming but it did get more difficult for us small guys to make a living over the last 40 years. Take care Mike. I hope I helped to clarify my earlier comment.
@@steveminer8341 Hello and no worries, I think we're mostly on the same page, even though I'm a bleeding-heart, west coast liberal. IMHO, part of the answer is to take money completely out of politics and publicly finance all federal elections. It'd be a good start. Yes the government is glutenous, but I think that's as much a matter of our $21 Trillion GDP as anything else. As long as we don't let the perfect get in the way of he good, we'll get this figured out and fixed together. Peace.
@@bardigan1 Well, I'm a mid-west conservative and I don't quite see it the same way you do. Our elections are financed by the public already. Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Jack Dorsey, George Soros, and their ilk are funding our politics now and they are part of the public. Jeff Bezos is currently making $14 Billion A DAY. Funny how he pays no income tax. Little wonder he can finance his prized politicians. I'm a big believer in term limits. How can people vote for Nancy Pelosi, Maxine Waters, Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer, Diane Feinstein, etc. It's even painful to listen to them speak. Biden is the best the liberals have to offer? Yikes! Harris is a joke as a VP choice. I'm sure you can't understand how I feel. I don't hold that against you at all. We are in this together and if we can't get together to figure this out, our nation is in big trouble. I'm sure you are younger than me. Probably much younger than me. You have been educated by our public schools and colleges. You have been taught how to think for years and protected from hearing any different thoughts and opinions. I'm old enough to have witnessed the beginning of the leftist movement when I was in high school and college. Heck, I was even booted out of a few classes for standing up for my conservative ideas. I take comfort in knowing people are fleeing the left coast states at a record pace. I just pray they don't bring their politics with them. lol Well, I'm just an old geezer living out the rest of my life alone (I lost my wife a number of years ago) so Mike, I thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I think it would be really neat to talk to you in person. I hope I'm not too old to learn from people far smarter than I am. You, my friend, are far smarter than I am. You make sense when you talk. You got me beat. You are my fellow American brother. You're amazing. Again, thanks for providing me with an audience. Best wishes to you and yours always. God Bless.
We use moving boards to load ours. Not allowed to use prods and 200 pigs at a time takes us anywhere from 30mins to an hour depending on if they want to play ball or not. We use a loading ramp and plenty of straw as ive found that they hate going from the sheds onto the metal of the ramp or trailer.
Thanks for this, I’ve often wondered about these regulations on butcher houses. Thank you.
Tricky Tricky feeding them. Reminds me of the Hansel and Gretel story. The screaming 😱. Know I’m still partly responsible tho.... appreciate your transparency and videos .
Great content, enjoyed the USDA explanation
Very educational video. Glad you brought up the little detail about butchering and the inspectors. Pete you didn't mention the cost between the two different type processing butchers. Could you lower your cost on your CSA customers by selling them a package deal with two or more buying a pig or beef then you delivering it to the Non USDA butcher as a driver only.
Thanks Larry. I'm not sure of the exact cost difference; we only use 1 butcher and they are USDA. We certainly could do it the way you say, but we trust our butcher so we bring all our business to him rather than risking another butcher messing things up. Also, our customers are accustomed to the smoked meats and sausages our butcher makes, and another butcher's would be different.
Thank yo for explaining about the weight of the pigs a loading them.
I don't care for government control either. But there is a reason for regulations and that's to protect consumers. Yes you do everything right but you aren't everyone. You always have some one not compliant that causes problems for others..
Another great video, its fun to see when your family is in the videos. Makes it all seem more like the family farm lol
found this interesting particular about the fda when I was young raised on a farm we raise a lot of pigs we slaughter our selves and sol out right to people who knew ou product as we raised out pigs on grain no antibiotics no garbage and were know for that in 1962 the fda came and informed my dad that we had to operate under there rules and as result my dad decide not worth it and sold everything and quit farming
I'm glad that you show concern about not wanting to do anything inhumane with the pigs, when you were talking about using the cattle prod. And you're right, it makes sense that the pigs would squeal and carry on for longer pulling them off by rope verses using the prod, especially when you don't have to actually shock them each time. Does the butcher you send the pigs to slaughter them humanely? Like he makes sure to stun them completely unconscious before cutting them to bleed them out?
Just remember Stressed backwards is desserts!
Educational, thx
You're welcome Craig!
great information! thanks so much for sharing! new subscriber
Show us the Bucher process
good idee to put the traile a week before , and feed them
Thanks
I have raised many pigs and sold them on the hoof to customers. People wanting a whole or half must place a deposit on a pig not a certain pig..
At butcher time the customer would pay for the balance. They would also pay the butcher for his services. That worked fine for a while but it got so folks coud not save money over the summer and I lost customers. It got to the point I lost a ll custermers but one. That person I never saw, he commuted by phone and paid by mail.
I worked at a custom exempt butcher, best job I've ever had. The guy also had a farm so I got to do that when we completed our butcher work for the week.
Most people over use a hot-shot....used right there is nothing wrong with a little shock
great explanation (Australia)
Nice video. How long does the meat last in the freezer?
Down here in Ky the butchering stuff is even weirder ya need a sink there and over there oh and over there
The government owes us. We are their livestock. And that's how they see us
Pigs could sense where they were going. But They did have a great life except for one day.
The butcher shop doesn’t pay for the inspector. The inspector is paid for out of our taxes.
The butcher will have to pay to have meat graded select, choice, prime. For meat they sell in their store.
Hi Joe, thanks for correcting me on that. Good to learn something every day...
Love watching your videos. As a consumer, I have to say I like all the inspection regulations. Paying your insurance is great but I'd bet not all farmers do. And the inspections are an extra layer of security to insure wholesome food. Insurance is great but money won't bring back a family member who's died from bad food. Not saying at all it'd come from you, but I do feel better knowing everything is inspected. Thanks for all your work!
Mike, what happens when you run into a USDA "inspector" who is there for the paycheck only. Gee, who could have guessed there would be frauds in the USDA? Ask me how I know. LOL
I would happily choose uninspected or privately inspected meat over meat inspected by bureaucrats if I had the option. Unfortunately, like all government "services," it's not optional; you take what they give you or else...
@@artemiasalina1860 I feel sorry for you, both for your ignorance and for your cynicism.
@@bardigan1 Your insults are irrelevant and your pity is unwelcome. Keep your nose out of my business; it is obvious that you have disdain for people and their freedom to choose for themselves.
@@artemiasalina1860 Darlin you replied to me so my nose in your business is ridiculous. Are you now saying you're not cynical about government, or have you reconsidered the issue and now believe the government is capable of good? If so, good for you, you're no longer ignorant.
A rattle paddle does wonders and ear plugs. I know plenty of bison that have been shot on a 53 and drug off after 20+ hours in a chute. Your right when they make up their mind to not move , they aint gonna move
Yep you can chase them anywhere they want to go...LOL
Excellent video. Very informative.
Maybe they noticed that their buddies that went on the trailer did not come back.
Exactly right. I've heard pigs are smart, but they're more smart than I thought.
Great video! Have you every tried walking behind the pigs with your wife with high tensile wire, that memory of shock will push them along.
Temple Grandin is a genius. What an incredible woman!
Yup. Temple Grandin is one of my personal heroes. She's had such a positive influence on the livestock industry and she did it while coping with autism.
Hello! back on my grandmas farm they sheared sheep. And they had to put the sheep in the small shed for the shearer ahead of time. Well they chased them holding small fence panels but could not get them herded into the shed. So I said wait a minute. I got a bucket of oats and took in the shed and poured it on the floor. Every sheep went in the shed and I closed the door! Would that work with pigs and cows in the trailer? Take care!
USDA rules are interesting.
That "trick" of acclimating the animals to the trailer is OLD! I'm 1st generation off the farm, & I've known about that trailer "trick" since I was a pre-teen! (Maybe 50-55 years?)
May all your years be successful!
If there’s anyone you can’t trust with your food safety it’s the government. The guys who can’t keep a road fit to drive on.
Damn, that was bloody interesting. Thanks!
Will a rolling panel in the front of the pig trailer help push the animals out of the trailer.
You do your best to be as humane as possible. You can't ask for much more than that.
Very informative! Thank you!
I used to load out a lot of pigs and sows from pasture setups with improvised pig panel catch pens, similar to your barn setup. I would strongly suggest buying a few pig sorting panels. I like these:
farmerboyag.com/kane-animal-sorting-panels/
Pigs won't go somewhere if they can't see an opening. You can use these to block their view and make moveable alleys to push them where you need them to go. Two panels held on each side of their head with your knees behind them is a good way to move a reluctant pig onto a trailer. There have been times that we had to catch and load out a few dozen pigs each week, everything from roasting pigs to sows. Often I loaded them onto a pig wagon or onto an old landscape trailer pulled with a small tractor, then transferred them to a stock trailer for a trip to the butcher.
I dunno, he’s getting older and the cattle prod is probably the best move here. I don’t think he’ll ever go back now.
My pigs followed me into the trailer and then off of the trailer and into the holding stalls at butcher. My pigs were my babies and would follow me and come when called by name
that shirt has a lot of mileage on it
Lol Jacques! That shirt's been through many battles!
Pete is dressed up for video day. 😂
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing
Believe it or not, some people believe we need even more regulation by the federal govt... Ridiculous!
Anyway, if you have a stubborn pig that just won't go up the ramp, do like the farmer I worked for did, put a 5 gallon bucket over it's head and back it in. If it can't see, it will go wherever you steer it.
I have a $30 tazer I bought from a vendor. Its the size of a cell phone. I use it as a last resort to move my cows, pigs, and goats. Interestingly I have only had to shock my 2 bulls once each. The tazzer makes a noxious noise that seems to be work as the inspiration to move.
what breed of hogs do you like best.
Hi Scott, I don't have a strong preference; I like Durocs, Old Spots, Tamworths, Herefords, and Berkshires about equally, and we've made great tasting pork from them all. I tend to stay away from Berkshires these days because they're the trendy breed and stock is too expensive. I also stay away from the slower growing breeds like Kune Kune because it's tough to make the economics work. And above all, I won't raise the pink pigs common in the big factory farms. We tried that once and their pork had almost no flavor.
how much $ does one of these pigs bring at market time on the average?
The answer is in this video: ruclips.net/video/7-l1VTVsE7E/видео.html
Very informative!
PETE, would it be cost effective to raise pigs up to butcher weight then sell live animals to coustomers? be strong, be safe, and be blessed
Hi Russ, I hope you are well! It seems like our customers want convenience, and most buy meat just like they would at the grocery store; one week's worth at a time. I think it would be difficult to sell live animals.
@@JustaFewAcresFarm i was just trying to think of ways to keep costs down, its been hard but with this new med the doctors put me on its easier, be strong, be safe, and be blessed
@@russsherwood5978 I appreciate that! Glad to hear you're alright.
@@JustaFewAcresFarm this old ticker has them doctors dazed and confused, they still dont know how i,m still living, i had 4 widow maker heart attacks, a stroke to many head injuries, pnuemonia 2x a year for the past 9 years, among many othe injuries and illneses, i just keep going, a little slower than i used to but i still get and get going,, be strong, be safe, and be blessed
As bad as it sounds, I am very glad I know where my bacon comes from
What’s the process your particular butcher uses to dispatch the animals .
I know this is a year old video. But always going back and seeing these are great. In my younger days I thought the government was fine. Not now! I do not want the government involved in my farming. I feed my animals GOOD! Fresh veggies and a couple of marshmallows here and there. Lol. My friends, family and neighbors say it is the best meat they have ever had. If the government wanted your pig then all they would have to do is tell you they have a virus and keep them. Think about it.
How do you set up your piggy for on pasture ?
Do you think they know their going to die
Do you use antibiotics on your cattle and pigs?
This is much better than the hippies who think all progress is bad and different is automatically better. Some of them think they can feed just grass to a pig. The big farms that the small producers compete with get their pigs to market weight by six months of age and you should to. They get a pound of gain with three pounds of feed (or less) and you should strive for that also. If you can use a cattle prod would using a farrowing crate, for first day or three after the piglets are born, be so horrible? The hippies say it's inhumane. How humane is it for a 400 lbs sow to sit on her babies? Can't wait for slaughter results. Live weight average, dressing % and pounds salable cuts.
Hi GWC 3, on the other hand, there are lots of people out there who rarely try new things because "that's the way it's always been done." I agree with you on the use of farrowing crates, but it took me a while to come around to them. I am learning there are sows who rarely step or lay on piglets, and others that do it all the time. One of our sows has only lost one piglet out of 25 in her first 2 litters with no farrowing crate. I will not be close to that 3:1 gain ratio. Those pigs are grown in warm barns and are the pink factory breed that gains faster. We grew that breed one time and I realized why supermarket pork is so tasteless.
I worked for the swine herdsman at Washington State Univ. in 1975. He was a Latvian who's motto was "sows must be happy". They were on pasture during gestation and farrowed in pens like yours. Never used crates. He averaged over 9 pigs per litter. I would only use them as a last ditch resort.
Who is the expert you mentioned? I had a hard time understanding your pronunciation of the name.
Also any suggestions for books regarding farming pigs? I’m looking into getting pigs
For the best meat what breed do you recommend? And to fatten them what type feed and how long do you keep them til butcher time.
Black angus
Mangalitsa 18 months
I'm in wny, and had my pigs usda inspected. Do you have to charge sales tax on retail cuts?
No sales tax on meat
Is it worth getting the tax exempt for feed and such?
Do you butcher and process all of your chickens and turkeys, or does a butcher do it?
Your power lead is in a coil
Pigs can be stubborn and aggressive at times.
Temple 👍👍
Pigs are a struggle to load try loading anywhere to 165 to 200 sum what that’ll wear you out
Don't wait till the bastards are 400lbs either. Let me tell ya, that sucks. It was 30f out and muddy. I closed off the living quarters so they didn't have any other dry place to go and put a heat lamp in the trailer with marshmallows and went in ate a hoagie. Came back out in an hr and they were in the trailer. I figured they can either freeze or get in, they made the right Choice. I hate hogs. 🤦♂️
How. Does. Butcher. Kill. Them
Not every one the farmer you are! Big need for usda.
Wish people would demand on farm slaughtering, it's humane and natural.
But we live in fear of nature now and believe we need government to protect us when in fact that is far from the truth. This is why people are buying directly from farms.
I go to the government controlled meat stores and look at pork and beef that has additives to give a brighter red or pink color, that scared me. Now that has disappeared and I wonder what else they have done to the meat, trust is out the window...
The government is supposed to help us or at least not hinder our pursuit for happiness , they make things far more complicated , than things need to be . and they will keep adding more red tape in the future.
I don’t know why we let our govt do this to us…
Is that why there aren't any small butcher shops around? In Europe there are small butcher shops the size of a bodega where you can get everything from fresh cuts to sausages to variously processed leftovers, such as "tlačenka" and others.
I think the big supermarkets with in-house butcher shops drove a lot of the small butchers out of business. The regulations are actually pretty simple for a straight butcher shop that cuts meat & makes sausage but does not slaughter. All they have to do is get their slaughtered animals from a USDA slaughterhouse, then they can cut them up in a specially designed kitchen. There are rules about the kitchen, but the rules aren't too extreme.
@@JustaFewAcresFarm I see. Makes sense. I guess this is one of those arts that I don't think we should have lost. Along with food preservation and storage.
It's probably the same reason why small-ish, family-owned hardware stores are nearly gone. Huge chains like Home Depot ran the small, local stores into the ground. It's even that way with pharmacies. CVS and Rite Aid control the majority of that market coast to coast now. Sadly, it's a sign of the times.
"Don't take any guff from these swine" - Hunter S Thompson.