Zanzenberg Farm

Located Center Point, Texas in East Kerr County, Zanzenberg Farm specializes in raising heritage breed pigs on pasture. Much like heirloom vegetables, heritage breeds were very common on the American homestead centuries ago. Farm owners Justin and Kayte Graham take extra care to raise these animals on open pastures where they are free to breathe in fresh air, take in the natural sunlight, root in the nutrient rich soil and enjoy daily mud baths. The hogs are humanely raised and finished on whey. Their pork is sold at three different farmers markets in Central Texas. Their products are corn, soy, antibiotic, and hormone free. Zanzenberg Farm practices holistic management principles such as intensive planned grazing as well as innovating new management strategies that optimize soil health.

This paddock, which resides on the homestead, is grazed by a drift of pigs whose numbers fluctuate between 10-40. The pigs in this area are smaller than those in the second transect because this is where they are born, raised and trained to the electric fence. They are then transferred to nearby leased pastures. The Soil for Water program is looking to see how different management practices affect the pasture over time and how soil fertility is restored. Cover crops are planted in this paddock generally twice a year depending on rain and recovery. The spring cover crop usually consists of millet, alfalfa, and sorghum. The winter cover crop usually consists of barley, rye, vetch, oats, wheat, and turnips. Additionally, this paddock is irrigated by well water making it an easy place to sow cover crops that keep the soil covered and provides continuous live root in the soil throughout the year. In Spring 2021, Justin planted a diverse mixture of annual food crops such as squash, okra, cow peas, beans, and cucumbers all growing together. Rains supported this trial and the Grahams had a bumper crop of veggies feeding the soil and providing product for the farmer's market.

Silvopasture is the practice of integrating fruit and nut bearing trees, pasture forage, and the grazing of domesticated animals in a mutually beneficial way. It utilizes the principles of managed grazing, and it is one of several distinct forms of agroforestry. For example, in the paddocks near the farmhouse, the Grahams have lined the pastures with fig, pecan and mulberry trees. The berries will fall from the trees to be foraged by the hogs or can be sold at the farmers market.

This leased paddock is a 16-acre field formerly used for decades as a conventional hay pasture. It was tilled, sprayed with glyphosate and then planted in Sudan grass to be harvested as hay. The landowner began resting this pasture in 2015. Justin started running hogs on it in 2017. The pigs at this site have been raised at the homestead and then moved to this pasture when they are older.

As a trial, Justin applied spent fermented brewers grains and grapes waste in this transect area to be consumed by the pigs and trampled into the soil. Where Justin applied the fermented wastes he found that the native seed bank became activated and different plants have begun to emerge. Through his own trials, Justin has learned that whey also creates a growth in beneficial fungi and to soil and pasture regeneration and continuing trials of spraying whey on sections of the pasture.

Dung beetles are commonly seen on Zanzenberg Farm. They are important insects for maintaining healthy pasture ecology and soil. This is a picture of a roller dung beetle which shapes pieces of dung into balls and rolls them away from the pile. They bury their ball in the soil to eat later or to use as a place to lay their eggs. As they move manure into the soil they increase organic matter, improve soil structure, increase water infiltration and provide essential nutrients for grass growth. We can thank the 6,000 species of dung beetles that attend to excrement around the planet for helping us maintain functional soils that have the capacity to capture and hold rainwater.

Zanzenberg Farm uses a combination of permanent and movable temporary electric fencing to rotate the hogs through the pastures. Having multiple paddocks allows the pastures time to rest in between grazing events so that there is ample forage throughout the year. Stationary pastures can be divided further into smaller pastures to increase rest periods between grazing events.

As is evident in this story, you can see that Justin and Kayte employ a number of innovative strategies to care for their pigs including building a mobile shade, watering and feeding station that can be moved around the pasture to support the pigs as they rotate through the pastures. To learn more visit their website  here .