Meet the Farmer: Andy Hazzard of Hazzard Free Farm

I am on a 240-acre parcel of which about 200 acres is farmable or tillable ground. The other 40 acres makes up the homestead, buildings, and a couple of small pastures and 25 or 30 acres of that is enrolled in the USDA Conservation Reserve Program.  It’s planted with thousands of trees and is home to lots of wildlife. I have been documenting the biodiversity on iNaturalist! I farm 11 of the 199 acres here that are tillable, and another 20 at the home place.

I was born into a farming family and encouraged to participate in the farm by working in many aspects. I worked with the calves and cattle and I kept a large flock of sheep. I helped with the harvesting and storage of crops and I learned about raising fruit trees and vegetables.  Though I wanted to farm, my route back into it has been circuitous.

I like to pose the question, ‘who is smarter man or nature?’  In the reality I live in, nature is smarter than man.  Humans walking around thinking they can outsmart her is the height of hubris.

When the pandemic hit I figured it would be a couple of years and because we continue to drag our feet on climate change its definitely interesting.  You have Aim for Climate, Bill Gates, the UAE and the federal government. I just have a hard time imagining someone like me will still be farming if they have their way, and I’m wondering how many folks are getting rich off all that.

[I’m waiting] for all the folks abandoning the social media ships to create a way to reach consensus and help us create the tech stack we need to mimic nature.  On climate change we need to prepare for trees dying, and stressed habitats becoming more stressed. Just a few days ago I noticed one of our Tulip trees is trying to bud out.

To put it in perspective it’s like you trying to amass all the things you need to build and furnish a house, on site and ready to go. And then snow and rain comes and destroys nearly everything and you might limp through another year but the wolves are now at your door. That reminds me: the Farm Bureau is asking farmers to lobby on behalf of publicly traded corporations that are farms. I SUSPECT it’s more like “farms” (nudge nudge wink wink).

I do not support the use of crates and here’s where the nuance comes: I try to imagine under what circumstances I would do that. If I was coming up in a generation that thought it was okay and never had the opportunity to see other systems, learn about them first hand, or talk to trusted teachers or mentors. If I didn’t have access, not only to information, on how to change, but that has to be matched with partners (often family) that want to change, a market and money to change my infrastructure and perhaps even the hogs I raise, because your potentially looking at changing breeds.

If you throw folks a rope oftentimes they will grab it. But I can tell you this… farmers are VERY reticent to take risks because every single day is a risk. The weather, the equipment, the animals and the ever changing array of taxes and laws and market manipulation. I would never sacrifice my farm on a new venture without being damn sure I had a crystal clear path. So, if we want folks to leave that [gestation crate] system we have to help build them a way out and that’s where you can come in by getting involved with lobbying FOR and giving folks a sure local market.

Check out what the “Food System Leader Caucus” that the Illinois Stewardship Alliance is hoping to create.  From their site:

Are you helping change the food system in your community? Do you wish you could connect with other food system leaders across the state to share knowledge and resources, discuss issues, and work on solutions together?

The Food System Leader Caucus will be a space for non-farming members of Illinois Stewardship Alliance to:

• • Meet and network with other like-minded food system leaders who share your passion for local food
  • Shape a policy agenda that supports the local food projects and businesses you care about
  • Get the latest insider intel on programs, policies, resources, and funding opportunities that can support or impact your business or project.
  • Sharpen your skills as a leader of the local food movement

 

What are your views on the use of farrowing crates that house mother pigs during the actual birthing process?

Confinement operations are not healthy for animals, people, or nature. Do less [piglets] die, maybe, but we sacrifice that for dirty water, air, and contaminated soil.  CAFO’S create antibiotic resistant strains of viruses. Why should you care? Because we are purposefully and forcefully putting them through the evolutionary olympics, while we eat processed foods and absorb endless chemicals from the majority of things we deem “essential” rendering ourselves immunologically compromised or devolving. I would argue that when looked at closely the meat is clearly not as nutritious and so then we further sacrifice our health.

Sows are protective of their young and generally good mothers, but during labor the sow gives birth in two waves. They have two uteruses that are long and thin and run forward in their bodies. As you can imagine it’s exhausting for them.

Our Sow Bandy had a litter of 17 and sadly she laid on some accidentally. She knew she had done it, after she did it, she cared, but refused to budge, she was exhausted.

A Sow will tolerate you fussing with her babies only so much, particularly when they are squealers. Sows get angry and they are big–400 to 600 pounds is not uncommon and when they lunge around, it’s dangerous, for her, for the piglets and for us.  Any woman that’s given birth can attest to limited reserves of patience and understanding, during and after.

That said for some sows a roomy gestation/birthing pen with bumpers works perfectly. Sometimes sows are busy giving birth and can lay down with their hind end against a wall and when baby comes out they get suffocated or crushed.  The bumpers keep the Sow from getting right next to the wall.  We also use a hot box for the piglets, it’s got a light in it for heat, (baby pigs chill easily in cooler seasons) without one they cuddle up to mom and in those first few days she can accidentally lay or step on one.

Bandy was outdoors until about one week prior to giving birth, at three weeks the sows are ready for piglets to be weaned.  Bandy started getting aggressive with them.  Piglets are incredibly tough by day two or three. By three weeks old they are hard to catch and hold, they are very strong and muscular, and active. They nurse hard at three weeks and they have very sharp teeth. In CAFOs they cut [their teeth] back and dock their tails, but we don’t do all that.

So long story short, a three-week weaning is normal and natural and preferred by the sows I have dealt with.

 

We are fortunate to be located less than 10 miles from a USDA inspected slaughter house.

I think they are brilliant and yes absolutely. I strongly support people learning how to butcher even just one animal something small, just to fully appreciate what meat really is. I also support allowing folks possessing a hunting license to purchase and butcher an animal on the farm, with the permission of the landowner.

Buy direct from the farm. Lay your eyes on the farmer and the animals.

Word of mouth mainly.

I’m at Hazzardfreefarm.com.

People can visit by appointment!