https://peertube.loopfarmstead.com/about/instance/homehttps://peertube.loopfarmstead.com/videos/browse?scope=localhttps://peertube.loopfarmstead.com/w/uVx2HNoSV4B3q5eY3rkthThttps://peertube.loopfarmstead.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/8c6b9b1b-f4ec-4879-997b-37d3575f6b20.pngPig Slaughter DayIt was time to slaughter the pigs that my daughters named Peppa and George. Needless to say they both want to be vegans now. Their choice. We purchased the two Berkshire pigs to help plow our new land here in West Virginia. They were to modify the land, remove the grass, dig micro-wildlife-ponds from place to place, contribute nutrients to the soil, and clear some land in the forests. They were effective at this. Using pigs in a landscape though has to run into the brick wall of land carrying capacity though. They become an ecological burden, a destructive force. At some point their work needs to be converted into food or else the land will become compacted and unusable for many years. So not only did the pigs provide my wife and I will about 2 years of meat, they also helped prepare land for us to remove ourselves from the industrial feed system. The land they cleared will primarily be used for staple crops; those staple crops are duel use - human food and livestock food. Things like potatoes, corn, sorghum, jerusulum artichokes, poll beans, and summer and winter squashes will grow in the land they prepared. Utilizing a rotational system this will allow us to feed our livestock permanently. We believe that with this space we can grow all of the chicken, duck, and every two years have enough of a feed cash to take on 2 pigs. Roughly 25 meat birds, a layer flock of about 15 hens, and roughly 12 ducks, plus the two pigs every two years. All for the cost of two pigs, or $400. The pigs roll in the ecology of the farm can't be understated. But their value to that ecology only exist for a finite time. They allows us to avoid fossil fuel use, distant nutrient mining, and the animal deaths associated with the production, shipping, and use of those conventional farm products. In that, they are uniquely suited as a productive farm animal and can really be replaced by any plant based system. #homestead #homesteadlife #raisingpigs #hogs #permacult...https://peertube.loopfarmstead.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/ea396ccc-e4f9-4322-83a4-5dc66814d3e7/801dede3-b0f5-4b75-b472-72ed28476bf8-master.m3u8https://peertube.loopfarmstead.com/videos/embed/uVx2HNoSV4B3q5eY3rkthT292072026-03-28T15:20:06.446Z#homestead#permaculture #agroecology #solarpunk#hogsYESThe Loop (Actual)NOhttps://peertube.loopfarmstead.com/w/j5U46p3npypa4Hw5dLriMuhttps://peertube.loopfarmstead.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/e4663db7-7a7d-4c2b-bd54-9a7de4ea5999.jpg🌾 Harvesting Compost & Terraced Garden Management | The Loop Farmstead**Video Length:** ~16 minutes **Location:** The Loop Farmstead, New Martinsville, WV (Zone 6b/7a) --- ### 📋 About This Video Join me for a working session on the farmstead as I manage terraced garden beds, harvest biomass for compost, and work through the realities of small-scale agroecological farming. **What you'll see:** - Solar-powered lawn mower for harvesting "compost biomass" - Terraced earth-burmed bed management - Multi-use landscape strategy (hay, mulch, compost from same space) - Real talk about the limits of self-produced compost - Wet soil challenges and planting decisions **Key insights:** - Why you can't compost an entire farm from lawn clippings alone - The 4:1 land ratio problem (4 acres biomass → 1 acre food) - Better solutions: animals, cover crops, integrated systems - Pathway management: compost vs. mulch vs. hay production --- ### 💚 Support The Loop Farmstead This video and our agroecological work are made possible by community support. We're building open-source tools for land-based livelihoods while documenting the real challenges of small-scale farming. **Pay what you can:** [Support The Loop Farmstead](https://buy.stripe.com/00w28s0wV6YV6gO35qcMM0a) Every contribution helps sustain: - 🛠️ Open-source tool development (OpenClaw, Homestead OS) - 🌱 Agroecological farming at The Loop Farmstead - 📹 Free educational content like this video - 📚 "The First Year Homestead" book (free distribution) **No amount is too small. No amount is too large.** We're building resilient livelihoods together. 🌾 --- ### 🔗 Related Resources - **The Loop Farmstead:** https://loopfarmstead.com **Music:** None (ambient farm sounds only) **License:** CC BY-SA 4.0https://peertube.loopfarmstead.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/92738cca-6553-4685-87c9-7f34670360da/e0075d1d-2b3e-4931-b438-f8a1c905b0c4-master.m3u8https://peertube.loopfarmstead.com/videos/embed/j5U46p3npypa4Hw5dLriMu961032026-04-07T23:19:48.028Z#Gardening#homestead#homesteadlife#compost#mulchYESThe Loop (Actual)NOhttps://peertube.loopfarmstead.com/c/root_channel/videoshttps://peertube.loopfarmstead.com/a/root/video-channels