There are multiple benefits to running the pigs through the hazelnuts after harvest. We set up a paddock in the oak trees adjacent to the hazelnut orchard. We are able to keep the pigs in the forest and open up the young orchard to supervised day grazing.

One of the main pests for a hazelnut is the filbert (aka hazelnut) moth. This moth overwinters as a worm in the hazelnuts and acorns from the oaks that have dropped on the ground. When we run the pigs through the hazelnuts and oak groves, the pigs eat the fallen acorns left over from the harvest. Not only does this help us mitigate the filbert worm population and limit spraying, it also creates really tasty pork products. We have come to realize farming, ranching and our own bodies rely heavily on biodiversity and synergistic relationships. What a joy it is to try to cultivate that.