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Apple Farmers Use Pigs Instead of Pesticides
Now he has a group of pigs who shuffle through the orchards when the apples infected with beetles start to fall. They eat the apples and the eggs that would have spelled disaster for next year’s crop, and clear the ground and eat weeds in the process. The pigs make short work of an apple orchard, eating every last contaminated apple. Once the pigs have solved the beetle problem, Koan plans to sell them as organic pork.
Very nice. I like the idea of reducing the use of chemicals in general and it is especially nice when the solution shows that one person’s problem is a pig’s food.
via: It’s the Only One We Have, where the photo is from also
Related: Peak Soil – Bed Bugs, Science and the Media – animal related posts
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:40 pm
Great article! It really good to hear a story about how people are finding nature pest control methods. The Pigs will also provide a good natural fertilizer for the apple trees!
Great Blog.
April 25th, 2008 at 4:42 am
Monoculture is stupid. Throw rocks at it…
May 26th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Wow, pigs sound like a great alternative to pesticide. We have a couple of acres here in Rincon Puerto Rico and I work at least 20 hours a week cutting down the weeds and vines from the property surrounding our house. We don’t want to use pesticides either. We thought about goats, but I think they eat good and bad plants, we have mango trees, but I don’t think they’ll drop enough fruit to feed pigs. I think we are going to go with a few Mini-Donkeys after we fence off about an acre…do you have any thoughts that might help us out?
September 7th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Farmers say eating fish helps their animals grow to that wonderfully ample size consumers want. Because of this, we’re accidentally destroying an ecosystem. It’s the story of stories…
May 16th, 2009 at 11:33 pm
I’m in Michigan and he is thinking along the right path. Natural insecticides and alternative pest control is the way to go. In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (Yooperland), we also have a natural freeze that takes place which is natures ultimate insecticide!
May 20th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
“Problems with the herbicide emerged late last year, when some commercial potato growers reported damaged crops. In response, Dow launched a campaign within the agriculture industry to ensure that farmers were aware of how the products should be used…”
May 20th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
“Once farmers grasp the concept that their ‘winged’ neighbours can help to solve rodent damage if they stop using poisons, Barn Owls and Kestrels will be able to rise to the occasion and control rodents…”