Why Pigs? Answered.

When people come to visit our farm or meet us out in the community, they often have a few key questions about our work. Right up there with “What do you feed your pigs?” (our number one most-asked question) and “Who is your butcher?” is: “Why pigs?”

This question makes a lot of sense—pigs are not the easiest or most common choice for new farmers. So why did we choose them? Here’s our story:

Matt and I met while working at Seattle Tilth, a nonprofit focused on organic farming education. We were co-workers on a project to launch a “farm incubator program” on a City of Seattle-owned 40-acre parcel in Auburn. This program offered land access, mentorship, and support for aspiring farmers. One of our very first clients was Karla Farias and her family.

Karla had grown up in Puerto Vallarta as part of her family’s meat processing business. Though she and her husband ran their own cleaning and painting businesses in Mercer Island, Karla had a dream to raise her own pork. She named her enterprise *Feliz Farms* and got to work raising pigs on the same Auburn property where Matt and I were living and working.

It was through Karla’s efforts that we were first exposed to the intricacies—and the incredible taste—of pasture-raised pork. We helped her with everything from farrowing (piglet birthing) and feeding to harvesting, marketing, and selling the finished product. This hands-on experience opened our eyes to how a pork enterprise could carve out a niche for us in the saturated local farming scene.

We learned that:

1. **Pork offers a unique market opportunity.** At crowded farmer’s markets dominated by veggie growers, high-quality pork stood out.
2. **Pigs fit well with rotational farming.** We could use mixed forage pastures and incorporate grain farming to offset feed costs, making pigs an efficient enterprise that could benefit the soil.
3. **Pork production requires rigorous management.** Raising pigs to Animal Welfare Approved standards means maintaining high animal health and welfare, which we were committed to doing—even if it meant keeping animals off pasture during the rainy season to protect the soil.

Ultimately, when Karla decided to step away from her pork business, she sold her remaining feed and fencing materials to us. This was a critical moment: we could have chosen to pivot or start something new, but instead, we saw it as the beginning of our own journey with pigs.

We took the leap and moved to Whatcom County where a number of our community members had moved to start farming businesses. Matt secured a job as the production manager at Cloud Mountain Farm Center, and we found a rental house in Everson to get started on our own pig-raising enterprise. We were all-in, moving up with a box truck filled with Karla’s super sack of feed and our vision for what our family farm could become.

It was a busy time. Matt worked full-time, and I took on a full-time role as a conservation planner with the Whatcom Conservation District. Our three year old son Ramone started kindergarten at the Nooksack Elementary School. While managing those jobs and raising our first two rounds of pigs on rented land, we wrote a business plan, built a network, and looked for land we could call our own.

With support from the Whatcom Land Trust, Whatcom Conservation District, and the USDA Farm Service Agency, we were able to purchase our 45-acre parcel six years ago. That land is now the heart of Alluvial Farms.

So, “Why pigs?”

Because we fell in love with the process of raising them. Because we saw how pork could provide a sustainable livelihood for our family. And because every challenge they present is a chance for us to refine our practices and grow as farmers.

We wouldn’t have it any other way.

P.S. Check out our blog posts answering our other top questions: What do you feed your pigs? and Who is your butcher?