208 | Glenn McCaig, Ontario | Stop Trying to Fix Everything: Simplified Systems for Pigs, Cattle, Sheep, and Sanity

Glenn McCaig of Perry's Corners Farm returns to the Grazing Grass Podcast to talk through livestock systems that stay practical when you stop trying to perfect everything. Farming with his wife Megan and their three young children just outside Kitchener, Ontario, Glenn shares what is working on their sandy, rocky ground with Lynch Lineback cattle, English Large Black pigs, Clun Forest type sheep, and pastured poultry.In This Episode, We Explore:What Lynch Lineback cattle are and why Glenn values a closed herd approachCalf-sharing milk cows and feeding milk to pigs as part of a whole-farm systemA gilt-only farrowing system that simplifies pig management and tightens farrowing windowsSelecting boars early using practical traits like teat count and mothering abilityFarrowing in pens vs pasture, and what changed with labor, predator pressure, and piglet lossesUsing simple ear notching to make culling decisions faster and more consistent in sheepClosed-flock sheep management, prolific genetics, and handling triplets and quadsThe realities of wool marketing and why some wool is not worth savingWhy Glenn went soy-free (and briefly corn-free) with pigs, and what he learned trying soy-free layersWhat migratory grazing changed for Glenn, and the cattle behavior he notices nowA calendar-based way Glenn thinks about the summer slump, rest periods, and how hay decisions affect grazingWhy This Episode MattersIf you have ever felt like your livestock enterprise got harder the more you tried to fine-tune it, this episode gives a grounded look at simplifying without backing away from good management. Glenn lays out practical systems for pigs, sheep, and cattle that reduce moving parts, tighten decision making, and keep the farm working in real conditions like predator pressure, winter feeding, and limited labor.Resources MentionedAcres U.S.A. PodcastBarefoot Biodynamics by Jeff PoppenSteve Campbell (mentioned in context of clean minerals)Burke Teichert (quote referenced)Find Out MorePerry's Corners Farm | https://perryscornersfarm.caGrazing Grass Community Looking for grass-based breeders? Explore the Grass Based Genetics directory.Visit our Sponsors:Noble Research InstituteRedmond Agriculture Grassroots CarbonGrazing Grass LinksWebsiteCommunity (on Facebook)Original Music by Louis Palfrey