Meishan Magic

When we started our journey raising Meishans, 6 months ago, I knew we were in for some adjustments…. poop, mud, farrowing schedules. One that that I didn’t see coming was raising an occasional vegetarian while raising pigs for meat. It’s sort of like raising a lifeguard that hates water. Or in my case, a farmer’s kid that won’t eat bacon.

Now, it warrants mentioning that her vegetarianism changes with the Kentucky weather. You may have heard that Kentucky can experience all four seasons in a day, and I will be the first to tell you that is completely true. You better dress in layers here. And as many temperature changes that we can see in a day, that’s how many times my daughter can change her mind about being a vegetarian. Consistency isn’t her strong suit.

So what is one to do when raising animals for food while an empathetic child has a moral crisis about eating them?

Much like her vegetarianism, we take it day by day!

Eat what feels right, respect where it came from, and don’t judge the person sitting next to you.

Farming teaches a lot of hard truths. Animals live and animals die. Sometimes that is within our control, and sometimes it isn’t. We give every animal on our farm the best possible life from the day they are born here, until they leave us.

Our animals have a single bad day their entire lives. Just one. It’s the day they go to the processor. Every other day is filled with snacks, healthy meals, green pastures, and all the belly rubs they could ask for.

What have I learned from all this? Kids can understand nuance if you give them the opportunity. She understands the difference in what we do and what large commercial processors do.

In this house, we raise animals ethically, feed our family honestly, and support a child who lives her truth… even if that truth changes depending on the phase of the moon.

In the end, our home has 2 rules for this. Respect the animals. Respect each other’s choices. Oh, and let consistency fly right out the window, who needs it anyway?