Last Friday I made my final “before-the-pigs-arrive” decision.

That we were going to raise pigs this year was a given. We love the meat and the land needs the rejuvenating work that pigs provide.

Because this region is full of enterprises that support large and small agriculture, I have feed sources beyond the more mainstream offerings at our local ag store.

We were very satisfied with last year supplier, Grove’s Mill, 20 miles away in Lewisburg. Our pigs grew well and with little notice, they could bag my feed in 50lb bags instead of the standard, 100’s.

There is a feed mill only 8 miles from Lilac Hill, and in an effort to “shop local” I asked about their feed. They were able to offer me almost everything I wanted, a custom mix with our preferred Fertrell’s minerals and local grains.

The major difference in the feed is that Grove’s uses locally grown, non-GMO corn.

Do GMO’s negatively influence the health of my pigs, of the people that eat our pork or of the environment? Discovering the answers to those questions would put me in front of a computer, sifting through research and diatribes, not moving fences, watching sheep and growing food.

In my mind, choosing non-GMO, removes uncertainty and I can focus on caring for the animals on the farm.