Small-Batch pigs sold direct to customers

Local families, home cooks and food-minded buyers who want to know where their pork comes from. Some restaurants may also buy.

Customers pay a deposit on a whole, half or quarter pig, then the balance on pickup. You earn the gap between the price per pig and your feed, piglet and processing costs.

• Comfortable handling large animals
• Daily routines for feeding and checking stock
• Selling and keeping in touch with customers
• Basic fencing and shelter building

• Meat sold to the public usually has to be processed at an inspected facility, and rules on where you can sell differ by province, so check yours
• Premises identification and pig movement reporting are required in many cases, so check with your province and the national traceability program
• Biosecurity, including African swine fever risk, so avoid feeding food waste and check your provincial rules
• Manure, odour and neighbour complaints, so check setbacks and environmental rules with your municipality
• Winter housing, water that freezes and heat stress in summer
• Commercial liability or farm insurance, which you should confirm with a farm insurance broker
• Feed prices can change, so keep a cushion in your pricing

Estimates typically run around $3,000 to $15,000, depending on fencing, shelter, young pigs and feed. Feed prices can change, so keep a cushion in your pricing.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $800 to $4,000, depending on how many pigs you raise and sell as shares. Revenue is not profit, so allow for feed, processing and winter housing costs.

Meat sold to the public usually has to be processed at an inspected facility, and where you can sell differs by province. Also check premises identification, pig movement reporting, biosecurity, and municipal setbacks for manure and odour.