Dark Branch Farm – Kenansville, NC

Adam Grady raises Certified Animal Welfare Approved by A Greener World (AGW) pastured hogs in coastal North Carolina. He has been farming for 15 years, raising tobacco, cotton, corn, soybeans, and small grains, among other crops.

The Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW pigs at Dark Branch Farm are raised outdoors on pasture, ranging and foraging freely. Pigs are rotated from pasture to pasture, reducing parasite buildup and providing animals with regular fresh ground. They are raised naturally, without growth promotants or animal byproducts. Grady finds this system works better for the farm, and results in a more wholesome product.

Grady decided to become Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW because, he says, “It gives me access to better markets.” He also notes the added welfare benefits on farm: “You see a lot more satisfaction and contentment with the hogs on pasture, not confined to a small area. We see a lot less disease and parasite pressure, and the hogs are able to do what they do naturally.”