Free Range Pork... There should not be an alternative!
Those concrete cells are just pitiful, how could anything that's resulted from those steel crates ever taste any good???


Would you like to eat pork that is from:


A FREE RANGE SOW???


OR

A CONCRETE STALL SOW???


************************I know my answer and most likely yours********************

So this is my story;


Living on the land all my life has made me who I am today, low stressed, drug free & happy.
It sounds exactly like my pig farm!

My names Mel, I have a husband and a 2.5 year old son & I run a small scale free range pig farm in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne in a little place (not even a town, just one of those signs you pass quickly on the Hwy noting a 'place'). Well this place is called Dixons Creek, its smack bang in the middle of the beautiful Yarra Valley, Victoria.

My son Ryan LOVES pigs!!! He will not hesitate to get amongst the pigs and pat them.



I was raised on the farm - 30 years now. (I must write that "YES" I still get asked for ID, so the country air must be doing something good to me!) The pigs only came along because of me and my persuasive tactics to get a 'pet pig'.



I did start with one pig and that soon multiplied!
I now run 13 sows & 1 Boar - each with a name, along with the dozens of piglets all through the year. Sometimes I could have 60 pigs at one time!








The farm isn't mine, its my Fathers and I am slowly filling his land with my animals, (I hope he doesn't notice!) Its here where my pigs are happy, healthy and best of all free to range the paddocks, eat grass & wallow in mud holes!

I use the words "FREE RANGE" with no un-certainty here, as not even fences will hold the pigs where I would like to keep them! But they never wander too far away from their dinner tin, located centrally on the 550 acre farm. I only have to bang the lid and pigs start fly trotting their way towards me from miles away. Sometimes the pigs are that buggered by the time they reach me they are frothing from the mouth! (don't run the weight off guys I think to myself!!)




There does come this one day were I do turn these piglets into pork, but I assure you they live a life that concrete pigs can only dream about. The mothers and their piglets live together exploring the pasture for 5-6 weeks before they are weaned. The mother by this time has had her fair share of nipple pulling and would be relieved that they are now on the other side of the 'piglet proof' fence!



Here they get fed a grain ration along with fruit & vege till they are a nice plump size.
I use no steroids, anti-biotic or growth hormones to grow my pigs, its all natural!
They get to go on daily ventures into the paddocks and return by the bang of the dinner tin. By the time they are ready to go they are that obsessed with the grain that I don't even have to use a ramp to get them into the trailer!! THEY JUMP IN! So there is absolutely no stress and off we go, all the way to the abattoir in Laverton. Once they are there they are calmly and humanly processed.


Once they return, they are cut & packed and sold to my friends, family and people who are "hooked" by the taste of my pork. I use a butcher shop to have them processed but this is wearing a little thin, as you can imagine 'MY customers coming into 'THEIR' shop and purchasing 'MY' pork and then leaving'




I have sold my suckling pigs on a regular basis to the famous chef Guy Grossi to plate up in his restaurant "Florentino's" in Melbourne.


- Guy Grossi



I also have had my 5 minutes of fame! with Paul Mercurio, from "Mecurios Menu".




Paul came out and interviewed my mum & I for his T.V show, he met the pigs and then using my Free Range Pork he cooked us the most divine Pork & Pumpkin Curry dish at a local Winery Restaurant! (I was so nervous about being filmed, but it turned out great when they aired the show.... They edited out all my nervous laughing!!)
Click the link view the recipe Paul cooked us for lunch! Mercurios Menu - Using YarraPigs Pork





So this is where I need your assistance.

I need my OWN place to process my pigs so I don't step on anyone else toes!

I have the stock (PIGS) - Large Blacks, Saddle Back Cross & a Berkshire Boar.


I would really LOVE a Boning Room/Meat Packaging area at the farm so I know that MY pigs are the ones being butchered and can be 100% sure that my customers are getting Free Range Pork.

COSTINGS:

I have been quoted on a Shed with flooring to cost me around the $8K mark. 5x11 shed with car port at the front to park my Cool Room on wheels under. (which I have already)

Fitted with stainless steel benches $550.00 (my partner is a great handy man, He can install them)


Equipment like a Ban Saw $800.00 and Cryovacc.
(I already have a cryovacc)
Licence to sell my product $1200.00 approx.

Labels for my product $400.00 (to start)

Car & Fridge Decals - To promote my product $100.00

Road side Signage - estimate $200.00

(NOT QUITE AS EXTREME AS THIS)

I plan to sell most of my product over the net and word of mouth to locals. I already have a small following of customers who rave about my pork, which can only grow so I need to be able to keep up with demand and keep this going.

All I need is a little help!

My goal here on Pozilbe was set at To my delight I am over target amount and will be forever grateful to my supporters!!! THANKYOU!


This will cover some of the earthworks needed to make room for the Boning room and to run power & water to there as well. I really hope that I have a good Idea and people will support me along the way!

Funds that are over $5K would be going towards the Boning Room Shed ! So keep sharing my story and hopefully we can get a little closer!! With just over a month to go !!!

Farmers have a hard enough time already with resources let alone a huge outlay to try and make a difference.

In return of your generosity I am happy to personally show you around our farm. Rolling country side, huge mountains and a flowing creek, bushland and a winding country lane which leads you right to the pigs haven. If your a photographer then you will be in awe, if your not used to seeing beautiful things then you too will be in awe!


On our farm we also run beef cattle & a handful of sheep to produce fat lambs. I too would like to process these through the boning room & run courses in butchering, demonstrations on cooking certain cuts & lessons in spit roasting from scratch!



Once up and running I invite you to come along and see first hand what you have helped to achieve.

Please "Like" my facebook page - Yarrapigs Free Range Pork


Check My Website http://yarrapigs.tripod.com
Shoot me an email [email protected]

Thank you so much for reading & for your donation if you choose to do so!
Every donation will count and I will be truly thankful, be that $1 - I will make this work!

- Melissa