The POLYFACE PRIMER series is a collaborative educational endeavor between Polyface Farm, operated by the Salatin family, and Swineherd Productions, operated by Shrader Thomas. For more than half a century the Salatin family has been loving and healing their farm in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. Joel has written numerous books outlining the farm's techniques and philosophies, but now the family brings these principles into the living room and the classroom via video technology. The goal of this series is to develop emotionally, ecologically, and economically enhancing agricultural prototypes and facilitate their duplication throughout the world. In these episodes, you'll see different members of the Salatin family as well as interns, apprentices and staff.

Pigs 'n Glens

Pigs are omnivores, like humans. We don't use the word glens much anymore, but you'll find it in old fairy tales and fold lore with names like Rip Van Winkle and Ichabod Crane. It describes a forested setting in which the story will take place. This video combines the most ancient hog production techniques with the best of modern technology, using pigs to massage the ecological landscape in exercise. So hold onto your hats, here we go...

A Polyface Presentation of A Swineherd Production

Enjoy a virtual hands-on lesson at Polyface Farm learning the ecological benefits and logistics of raising pigs in a patch of woods. Combining the ancient symbiosis of pigs and trees with the most modern infrastructure like electric fencing and no-waste water systems, the Salatin family's techniques offer hope and healing. Simply put, this is modern nutrient-dense ecological farming at its best.