By Chris Aldridge
Kentucky Ag News

Vista Brook Farms’ commercial hog business has been around for three generations near Danville. A decade ago, the third generation for the farm, Brandon Ellis, and his wife, Niki, started selling show pigs. Then three years ago, they began raising pastured pork.

The three income streams provide the stability of a three-legged stool. “If one area doesn’t do well, we have the other two to prop it up,” Niki said.

Vista Brook’s most recent venture of raising grass and forage-eating pigs is “very labor intensive,” Niki admitted. The swine are sold monthly to nearby processor Marksbury Farm Market in Garrard County.

“Raising animals out in the elements is very tough, but we do it for our consumers,” said Niki, who also works as executive director of the Kentucky Pork Producers Association in Elizabethtown. “There’s a demand for it (pasture-raised pork), so we’re there to provide that.

“People should have choices in their food, and we as farmers have got to provide that for our consumers. Our job is to feed the world, but if they don’t want our product, we’re out of business.”

The Ellises are proud that they don’t need to use antibiotics to raise their hogs.

“We have a strict biosecurity program,” said Niki. “Whenever we go out to shows, we’re constantly changing our shoes. Before we go home, everything is thoroughly sanitized. Anytime a pig leaves our farm, it doesn’t come back. New pigs are quarantined 60-90 days before they are introduced to our herd.”

Vista Brook’s commercial hog business is known worldwide for its seedstock.

“We’re known across the world for our landrace genetics, which is very sought after,” Niki said. “We raise a lot of purebreds that provide replacement breeding stock throughout state and Midwest. We provide some boars and females that produce a very good product.”

The Ellises raise eight swine breeds, but they focus on Durocs, landraces, and Yorkshires.

“We’re very much known for our Yorkshire genetics,” Niki said. “We’ve been recognized for it, and it’s something we’re very much proud of. People are avidly seeking us for those genetics.”

Just last week, the Ellises traveled to Oklahoma to sell some of their Yorkshire boars.

The final leg of Vista Brook’s three-legged income stool is show pigs. The Ellises have been hosting an annual show pig live auction for 10 years.

“We’ve been very, very successful with that,” Niki said. “We’ve been able to market pigs from California to New York. Our two sons show hogs as well.”

The Ellises hope the two boys – Colton, 13, and Blaine, 5 – will one day become the fourth generation to run the farm.

“Their father, grandfather, and great-grandfather are still working with us,” Niki said. “We have four generations still actively working every day. Not many people get to have that.”

Niki emphasized that her sons’ career choices will be their decision.

“Colton is hands on, helping with chores,” she said. “He has a few of his own sows now that he’s raising and making decisions for.

“The world is wide open for him to do what he wants to do, but he still has an interest in the farm.”