STEVE Slape, Furner, gave up shearing three years ago to focus on pig production at his family’s farm, with the aim of meeting increasing demand from his major commercial buyer, Adelaide Hills-based Skara Artisan Smallgoods.
The Diamond Springs free-range pork operation includes 170 breeding sows, mostly Large White-Landrace crosses, and seven breeding boars – four Landrace, two Large White and one Duroc.
The operation covers 567 hectares, with the couple running 2000 pigs and Steve’s parents Helen and Leon producing prime beef and lamb.
A certified free-range operation, Diamond Springs produces hormone-free, antibiotic-free pork.
Baconers weighing 100 kilograms are transported to Skara Artisan Smallgoods at 24 weeks of age.
“We met Skara by chance and now have a strong partnership,” Mr Slape said.
“Our operation grew bigger than anticipated with their encouragement and I’ve been able to return to work on the family farm, where the pigs live entirely outdoors with shelters in their paddocks and pens.
“The quality of the meat largely reflects changes to their food intake as the weather fluctuates, which lead to periods of compensatory growth resulting in fat deposits that store moisture and flavour in the meat.
“We feed them a grain-based pellet ration and they also dig for bugs and shoots.”
The pigs go through 22 tonnes of Coprice pellets, a vegetarian product, per week.
Skara founder Anthony Skara has had 30 years in the meat production industry and believes high end charcuterie requires quality raw material.
He said his business, which sources meat exclusively from SA producers, had experienced 98 per cent growth in the past 18 months
“When you find local free-range farmers, who share your values and produce fine quality meat, you back them,” he said.
Diamond Springs is one of nine free-range pork farms in SA that are accredited by the Australian Pork Industry Quality assurance program and submits to annual environment and animal welfare audits. The pig farm is run on 48 hectares of the relatively uncleared property.
Steve and Rose Slape were required to get Environment Protection Authority approval and a change of land use permit from Wattle Range Council as the land, a soldier settler block the Slapes have farmed since 1938, was previously licensed only for the commercial production of beef and lamb.
Steve said he jumped at the chance to increase farm productivity after he confirmed that sows would help to control bracken fern on land that was unsuitable for grazing sheep and cattle.
“As we increased their numbers they also had a positive impact on the soil,” he said. “The pigs are controlling broadleaf weeds and onion grass, and have increased soil pH, phosphorous levels, and microbial activity. This has led us down the path of regenerative farming practices.”
The couple won the branded meat champion pork award at the Sydney Royal 2018 Fine Food Show last month.
Steve said his core farming principle was simple.
“Don’t stress out the talent if you want good meat,” he said.
“Humans and pigs are quite similar, both ruled by their stomachs and pretty happy if they’re not under pressure, which is useful to remember when thinking about how we feed, breed and handle our livestock.”
