About 15 years ago Small Farm Canada completed a quest to discover the Northern-most pig in Canada. The quest took us to the land of polar bears, bowhead whales and walrus, 700 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle on the rugged shores of Baffin Island to a community called Clyde River.
Unlike his Berkshire cousins this pig named Rodoe was of the pet-Vietnamese Pot-Bellied variety, who lived in the house with owners Andrea and Rob Myers. They had recently relocated from New Germany Nova Scotia to Clyde River with dog, cats, and pig in tow. Here is a bit of what they learned about raising a pig in the Great White North.
Pigs are hardy - more than a Doberman from this account, and their fur will grow thicker to help acclimatize to the cold. “Rodoe heads outside about four times a day,” said Myers “spending about 10 minutes to root around and do his business. Even when it’s –30C outdoors, he’s never in much of a hurry to return.”
“The biggest challenge of raising a pig in the Arctic is paying the food bills, especially if you forget to arrange for a bulk order of hog pellets to be shipped up on the cargo vessel that services Clyde River during the summer months when the ocean has melted. Otherwise, bringing up a $12 bag of hog pellets by air cargo can cost over $300,” added Myers.
These costs are further amplified when you’re dealing with an obstinate pet pig that isn’t afraid to throw his weight around in the kitchen. “He likes fruits and vegetables – the good stuff. Not cabbage and carrots, but strawberries and melon,” Myers said. “If I want to eat potato chips, I have to do it outside. If he hears the crinkle of the bag, he comes running.”
The decision to bring his pet pig along assured that the Myers wouldn’t have any shortage of visitors when they first arrived.
Looking back at this quest has inspired us to find and connect and share stories of Canadian small farms on the edge – we are looking for small farms on our most easterly, westerly, southerly, and northerly borders. Stay tuned for Canadians farming on the edge first installment in Small Farm Canada’s March/April 2021 issue.
If you believe you are a farmer on the edge with an interesting story to share, be sure to contact Julie Harlow.