Andrew is a first-generation farmer who has wanted to farm since he was a youngster. He comes from an entrepreneurial family that encouraged him to pursue his dreams. After he graduated from highschool, Andrew began working on other farms to learn skills and save money.
In 2019, he pooled his resources, took out a loan, and started his own outdoor hog operation. “I decided I wanted to do the best job I could and to me that means raising hogs outdoors where they can root, wallow, eat grass and forage in the woods.”
As a self-proclaimed, “one man show,” Andrew does it all from installing fencing, seeding pastures, feeding and managing the animals, and marketing his pork products. He provides hogs to Firsthand Foods through the Natural Hog Grower’s Association (NCNHGA) and he sells pork products directly to consumers at two different farmers markets, including Midtown Farmers Market in North Hills (Raleigh) and The Market at Cedar Point (near Camp Lejeune).
Andrew keeps an open mind and is learning all the time. In addition to turning to members of the NCNHGA for information, he scours the internet to learn about raising hogs outdoors on pasture. That’s what led him to the concept of silvopasture, which involves grazing animals amongst the trees. He’s attracted to new methods that focus on building soil quality. “If I was just managing hogs, I’d build a confinement barn. But I’m trying to manage the land around the hogs, using them to help build soil.”
