Ruby Metzner has no business raising pigs. "I'm a Jewish girl from the Upper West Side!" she said.
But raise pigs she does, with her husband Sather Duke at Raven & Boar Farm in Columbia County, N.Y. They knew nothing about farming when they bought their place in Old Chatham in 2008. At the time, Metzner and Duke were fleeing the economic downtown that had dried up the work at their furniture design firm in Brooklyn, and seeking respite from a mysterious illness that left Sather temporarily unable to walk.
“Farming,” said Metzner, “was not in the plans.”
That changed when her husband found solace and strength from growing the family's food, including raising four pigs. Metzner sought out books from the local library for tips on how to be a pig farmer, and that's when she was struck with an idea that gave their farm business its special edge: whey.
"In one of [the books] there was a sentence [about] the tradition of Italian pigs drinking whey from parmesean cheese, and that would lead to those hams become prosciutto di Parma.” It hit her like “a lightning bolt." There was a sheep farm down the road. How about getting whey from them and feeding it to their pigs?
"At the time, it wasn't that it was going to make a niche product for us, but it was more a food product to help us cut costs," said Metzner. But the lightning bolt's energy didn't stop with whey. With encouragement from her husband, who was digging pig farming and wanted to raise more, Metzner decided to start marketing their product to high-end restaurants.
Seven years later, Metzner and Duke have gone from four pigs to 200, selling their heritage-breed, whey-fed pork to restaurants like Gramercy Tavern, Stone Barns at Blue Hill in Westchester County and Franny's in Brooklyn.
For beginning farmers who are deciding what to grow and how to make it stand out in a crowded market stall, Metzner has these suggestions:
Get friendly with your local ag extension. "One of the best things I did when I started was calling Cornell Cooperative Extension," operated by Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. "It’s free agricultural information, run by the state, and they’re in every county! They have master gardeners, soil tests, animal husband experts, you can ask them anything."
Befriend a mentor.“When starting to farm, it’s essential to find a mentor,” said Ruby. “Old timers are fantastic, just to call and say, ‘There’s this kind of bug,’ or ‘Can you tell me what this specific grass is?’ Sure, you can learn from the Internet, but you can get much better information from someone who’s done it for generations right where you are. Each microclimate is a little different. We’re a few degrees different from even 15 miles south of us! Finding someone that’s deeply knowledgeable with your area’s agriculture is hugely valuable.”
- Tap the library. “Half of what I learned is from books,” said Metzner. “I was looking up animal husbandry, pig farming, chickens, rabbits, to learn about possibilities. There is a lot online, but the library is way better." Another bonus: the local public library is also a social connection to your town. "The librarian saw my interests and helped me make connections," said Metzner. "In your community, the librarian knows everybody there is to know —including the farmers."
- Know thy product. And believe in it, too, said Metzner. "You really have to know the core value of your story – why it’s different and better. My story is important to the client’s story, how they’ll sell it to their clients. The more a business can communicate about a product, the better they’ll sell it.”
Give it away....at least, to start. "When you call and say, ‘I have free, heritage, pork chop samples I’d like to deliver’ – you’re much more likely to get past the maître d’ and through to the chef," said Metzner about cold-calling restaurants. "And once you do, they’re always happy to talk to you.”
Just do it. “At a certain point, you’re going to have to jump off and take that risk and believe in yourself to get it done," said Metzner. "Everyone thought we were crazy. We’re pushing ourselves for something we really love. “
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