PEMA FARMS

Buying a pig? Don't choose it simply because it looks big. 🐷

Here are five things I'd want a farmer to pay attention to:

1️⃣ Body condition

Look at the animal as a whole—not just its size.

2️⃣ Legs and feet

An animal that is going to spend its life standing and moving needs sound legs and feet.

3️⃣ Teat structure

For breeding animals, this deserves attention.

4️⃣ Age and production history

Don't buy without understanding what you're actually buying.

5️⃣ Records and source

Know where the animal comes from and ask for the relevant information available about it.

And one more thing:

Don't let someone convince you that a particular breed is automatically the best breed for every farmer.

The right animal depends on your:

Objective + environment + management system + market.

Animal selection is a decision—not a guessing game.

We will be talking much more about this in the coming weeks.

What would you look at first when choosing a pig?

A farmer can have 20 pigs and still not have a profitable pig business.

And this is something we need to talk about more.

Keeping animals and running a livestock business are not necessarily the same thing.

If you don't know:

👉 How much you spend on feed
👉 How much you spend on health
👉 Your labour costs
👉 Your mortality/losses
👉 Your cost per animal
👉 Your selling price
👉 Your market
👉 Your actual profit

then how do you know whether the farm is making money?

Sometimes we look at the number of animals and think:

"My farm is growing."

But the real question should be:

"Is my business growing?"

This is why records matter.

This is why budgeting matters.

This is why knowing your market matters.

And this is why we will be talking about farming as a business, not just farming as a hobby.

At Pema Farms, our goal is not simply to help you keep more animals.

It's to help you make better farming decisions.

What is one farming expense you find difficult to control?

Tell us in the comments.

After more than 10 years in pig and dairy farming, I've learned something important.

Farming is not just about knowing how to keep an animal.

It's about knowing why you're doing what you're doing.

Two farmers can have the same breed of animal.

The same number of animals.

Even similar housing.

And still get very different results.

Why?

Because farming is a system.

Your:

Animal selection → Feeding → Housing → Health management → Records → Labour → Market

all affect each other.

That's one of the biggest lessons experience has taught me.

You can't fix a farming business by looking at only one part of it.

That's why at Pema Farms, we want to go beyond giving farmers random tips.

We want to help farmers understand the whole system.

And that's what we'll be doing here.

What is the biggest challenge you are currently facing on your farm?

Tell us.

You might help us decide what we teach next.

Before you buy your first animal, answer these five questions:

1. What exactly am I producing?

Breeding stock? Piglets? Growers? Finished pigs?

Your answer affects almost every decision that follows.

2. Who will buy from me?

A pig is not automatically a business just because you own it.

Know your market.

3. Where will the pigs live?

Housing shouldn't be an afterthought.

Think about space, water, drainage, cleaning and waste management before the animals arrive.

4. How will I feed them?

Feed is one of the major costs in pig production.

You need a feeding plan—not just money to buy feed when you run out.

5. How much can I realistically afford to invest?

Don't calculate only the price of the animal.

Think about housing, feed, water, labour, health management, transport and unexpected costs.

One of the biggest mistakes a new farmer can make is:

Buying animals first and figuring out the business later.

Start with the plan.

Then buy the animal.

More practical lessons coming from Pema Farms.

What was the biggest question you had before starting your farm?

Tell us in the comments.

For a while, Pema Farms has been quiet.

But the farm hasn't stopped.

The animals haven't stopped.

And the lessons certainly haven't stopped.

Over the years, we've learned that farming teaches you things that no classroom can fully teach you.

You learn by feeding animals every day.

You learn by watching growth.

You learn when something goes wrong.

You learn what works.

And sometimes, you learn the hard way.

Now we want to start sharing those lessons.

From today, expect practical conversations around:

🐷 Pig farming
🐄 Dairy farming
🌱 Feeding & farm management
🏡 Housing
🧬 Breeding & animal selection
📊 Records & farm economics
🛒 Markets
👨🏾‍🌾 Farm improvement

No complicated agricultural language.

No pretending that farming is always easy.

Just practical knowledge from practical experience.

And because we know that every farmer's situation is different, sometimes the best place to understand a farm is on the farm itself.

So this page is entering a new chapter.

Welcome to Pema Farms.

Practical Farming. Proven Experience.

Follow us. There's a lot coming.

WELCOME TO THE NEW PEMA FARMS

Some of you may know us as Kaharati Pema Pig Farm.

For more than a decade, we have been learning, farming, making mistakes, improving and gaining practical experience in pig and dairy farming.

Now, we are taking the next step.

PEMA FARMS is becoming more than a farm.

We are creating a platform where farmers can access the practical knowledge and experience we have gained over the years.

🐷 Pig Farming
🐄 Dairy Farming
📚 Online Training & Webinars
🎓 Seminars & Workshops
🧑🏾‍🌾 Farm Consultations
🏡 Farm Visits & Assessments
🐖 Animal Sourcing & Breed Guidance

Whether you are planning to start, have already started, or want to improve your farm, this page is for you.

And you don't always have to come to us.

We can also come to your farm.

We'll be sharing practical lessons, real farm experiences, farmer tips, and opportunities to learn with us—both online and on the farm.

This is a new chapter for us, and we're excited to have you along.

Welcome to PEMA FARMS.

Practical Farming. Proven Experience.
Follow the page and let's build better farms together.