Dirigo Ranch Pork
Did you say bacon?
Who doesn't love a juicy smoked ham? A slab of bacon with those farm fresh eggs? A BBQ smothered pulled pork sandwich?
We sure love cooking up some delicious pork here at the ranch, and now we're ready to share it with you!
Farm Fresh for All
We have built our cattle ranch from the ground up - every inch of it has been cleared, constructed, and built from our own hands and personal pockets. We are continuing to grow our operation, but with that, there are limitations on just how fast we can create spaces that suit the needs of the livestock we wish to raise and offer.
With quick growth being a barrier, we sat down at the local brew pub with friends of ours, that have a long history of successful regenerative farming right up the road in North Berwick, Maine - Wandering Elements Farm.
For nearly 30 years, Wandering Elements Farm has been involved with raising livestock from beef and dairy cattle, to chickens, sheep, and pigs. They are incredibly kind, and well-versed in all things "farm life".
With great admiration for what Dave of Wandering Elements and his family have built, and a mutual mindset for the local food movement and sustainable farming practices, we decided to join forces and become partners.
Read on below for their farm story...
The Pigs
The pigs are a Yorkshire/Hampshire/Bluebutt cross.
They are easy to keep, have good temperament and are very efficient in putting on weight.
Wandering Elements Farm has been buying bulk feed from Alderwood Farms in Limerick, Maine for about 4 years. This is ground feed, locally grown on their farm, made up primarily of corn and oats. The pigs are forest raised, and enjoy the benefit of rotational rooting and grazing. The pigs get seasonal vegetables as well, such as pumpkins, apples, and squash. After moving the pigs from one paddock to the next, Wandering Elements plants cover crops over the previous paddock, such as peas and oats, to ensure erosion control, soil amendment and feed for the animals. A wonderfully sustainable practice, that showcases Wandering Element's stewardship for both their land and animals.
The pigs are provided rations of Poulin Grain feed from Dirigo Ranch Feed & Seed, which supports the needed minerals and vitamins that pigs require. The pork is finished with a generous supply of Poulin Grains.
Wandering
Elements
Farm Story
Wandering Elements (WE) name came about as a result of owner David’s life. As a Navy Veteran and former Air Force “brat”, he moved around as a way of life. His first true experience with farming came while serving in the US Navy, he worked on a small Hereford farm on Whidbey Island, in Washington State. The farmer was a retired Navy Chaplain, Henry Harlow Hayes, with his wife Harriette. They welcomed him and treated him like family, the experience cemented his appreciation for the honest work of farming. After an honorable discharge from the Navy in 1994, he moved back to middle Georgia and started a farm of his own, raising beef cows, dairy steers, pigs, sheep and chickens. In 2011, Dave moved once again to New England, leaving family tending the farm Georgia. Now WE Farm consists of properties in Parsonsfield and North Berwick Maine, as well as the OG in Georgia. Here in Maine they raise pigs, egg laying chickens, meat chickens and grow vegetables. From the West, to the South, and now the Northeast, the love of farming came along for the ride.
Wandering Elements Farm strives to be engaged in the local community, offering and providing vegetables to multiple local food pantries, seedlings to community gardens, and they have provided free produce from their farm in Parsonsfield and North Berwick. They are active stewards of their land, and pride themselves on running a clean and efficient farm, transitioning their farming to regenerative practices. They partner with other local farms and businesses to share products and services, such as sourcing wood chips from local arborists for bedding, walking path and compost. They also trade and barter their goods for pine shavings, mushroom compost and even manure.
Partnered Pork
With this shared respect for livestock and humane, sustainable farming practices, we felt it would be a perfect fit for our farms to work together, to be able to offer more locally grown food to our community. At Dirigo Ranch we want to help with providing access to, and assisting in, reaching customers who we know are already passionate about farm-raised meats.
The pigs will reside with Wandering Elements Farm in North Berwick, with an agreed upon feeding regiment and approved living conditions, that we ourselves, would be proud to give them at the ranch. When the pigs have reached their market weight, we will care for them and manage the coordination with butcher facilities, through the point of customers receiving their farm-raised pork.
We are proud to have the opportunity to come together like this and build greater community access to healthy food!
Ready to Purchase your Pork?
Pork
