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

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

Author: Grazing Grass January 28, 2026 Duration: 1:36:26

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 approach
  • Calf-sharing milk cows and feeding milk to pigs as part of a whole-farm system
  • A gilt-only farrowing system that simplifies pig management and tightens farrowing windows
  • Selecting boars early using practical traits like teat count and mothering ability
  • Farrowing in pens vs pasture, and what changed with labor, predator pressure, and piglet losses
  • Using simple ear notching to make culling decisions faster and more consistent in sheep
  • Closed-flock sheep management, prolific genetics, and handling triplets and quads
  • The realities of wool marketing and why some wool is not worth saving
  • Why Glenn went soy-free (and briefly corn-free) with pigs, and what he learned trying soy-free layers
  • What migratory grazing changed for Glenn, and the cattle behavior he notices now
  • A calendar-based way Glenn thinks about the summer slump, rest periods, and how hay decisions affect grazing


Why This Episode Matters
If 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 Mentioned

  • Acres U.S.A. Podcast
  • Barefoot Biodynamics by Jeff Poppen
  • Steve Campbell (mentioned in context of clean minerals)
  • Burke Teichert (quote referenced)


Find Out More

  • Perry's Corners Farm | https://perryscornersfarm.ca
  • Grazing Grass Community


Looking for grass-based breeders?
 Explore the Grass Based Genetics directory.

Upcoming Grazing Events

Visit our Sponsors:
Noble Research Institute

Redmond Agriculture
Grassroots Carbon
Apr 22-24 3 Springs Utah

Grazing Grass Links
Website
Community (on Facebook)

Original Music by Louis Palfrey


There’s a quiet revolution happening in the fields and pastures, one that ties the health of the soil directly to the health of a farm’s bottom line. Grazing Grass Podcast | Rotational Grazing, Soil Health & Profitable Livestock Farming is a part of that conversation, sitting down with the men and women who are putting regenerative principles into daily practice. Hosted by Grazing Grass, each episode feels like a candid chat across a fence line, moving beyond theory into the tangible details of managing livestock on grass. You’ll hear farmers recount their own journeys-what prompted their shift in thinking, the logistical hurdles of changing their operation, and the outcomes they’ve witnessed in their land and ledger books. A recurring segment called "Over Grazing" digs into the specific problems and hard-won lessons that come with this way of farming. This isn’t just a science or nature podcast; it’s a practical resource built on shared experience, aiming to strengthen a community where knowledge about profitable, grass-based systems is passed along openly. Tune in for honest stories that get to the root of what it means to work with the land.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Grazing Grass Podcast | Rotational Grazing, Soil Health & Profitable Livestock Farming
Podcast Episodes
169.  Moving Across the Country with Nick Jackson and Sarah Mahan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:16
Nick Jackson and Sarah Mahan recently embarked on a transformative journey from Atkinson, Maine, to Healy, Kansas, to pursue regenerative agriculture. Their passion for soil health and sustainable farming practices led t…
166. Grazing Sheep with Big Tom Perkins [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:20:58
Big Tom Perkins is a seasoned farmer who has successfully navigated the challenging transition from cattle to sheep farming. With his extensive experience at Con-O-Creek Farm in western Pennsylvania, he has become a beac…
165. Silvopasture: Getting Trees Started Right with Austin Unruh [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:56
In this episode , we feature Austin Unruh, the founder of Trees for Graziers. Austin's journey into the world of silvopasture and agroforestry began in 2017 when he started planting trees along streams to improve water q…
164.   Splitting the Farm to Evolve with Becky Szarzynski [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:26:41
Becky Szarzynski is a pioneering farmer in the field of sustainable farming and regenerative agriculture. With her independent venture, Ember Cattle Company, based in Fairfield, Virginia, Becky has transformed her family…
163. The Intersection of Military and Agriculture with Eric Czaja [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:18:49
Eric Chaya is a visionary in the realm of sustainable agriculture and military synergy. Originating from Wisconsin, Eric's journey has taken him from a traditional dairy-rich environment to pioneering innovative agricult…
162. The Art of Meat Processing and Electric Fences with Ross McGarva [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:23:40
Ross McGarva is a seasoned rancher with deep roots in the agricultural world. His family has been involved in ranching since 1918, and Ross himself has embarked on a remarkable journey across the United States, managing…