Molly Gimson is a busy lady. As well as working a four-day week and every other weekend on her family’s 1,100-sow outdoor unit, she runs a mobile catering business and is also a member of Ladies in Pigs and Young NPA.
The National Pig Awards judges were particularly impressed with her entrepreneurial spirit, which shines through in Pigs In…, which she runs from a converted horse trailer with a kitchen, creating and selling a variety of pork products, all made from the farm’s pigs.
Molly started the business during the Covid pandemic, shortly after completing a level 3 agriculture qualification at Easton College. She initially targeted local pubs that had stopped serving food, and still goes to many of those now. Driving the business forward, a new, larger vehicle has just arrived.
She was delighted to win the award and looks forward to widening her network, as she meets more people in the industry.
“On the farm, I’m an all-rounder,” Molly said. “I used to specialise in farrowing, and then we got a new lady, so I could take a step back from that.
“I like to describe my role as doing the jobs that no one else wants to do. Mornings are very hands-on with artificial insemination and feeding; in the afternoons, it’s often power washing and maintenance – they are the types of jobs that people don’t like to do. I don’t mind, so I do a lot of that.”
Molly’s parents, Ashley and Susannah, are first-generation farmers, and the business consists of 150 acres of family-owned land and 200 acres rented from the council in Suffolk.
The family sell about 1,200 piglets – weighing around 9.5kg – every two weeks to Pilgrim’s Europe. The day before I visited, they took delivery of nine Hampshire boars, which will be incorporated into the herd.
The unit recently averaged 26.31 pigs weaned/sow/year, with just over 14 pigs born alive/litter and 11.8 pigs weaned/litter.
“We’re doing quite well,” Molly said. “The biggest issue is always mortality at farrowing, at about 15%, which is high.
“Every litter has a small pig – a lot of people won’t record that, because it’s probably not going to live, whereas we always record it. It probably makes our mortality a bit higher, but we prefer to be honest.
“Our soil type is very sandy and we have tried nose ringing, but it doesn’t work because they still dig it up,” Molly said. “In summer we get quite a lot of overlays, but that isn’t something we can particularly fix.”
Biosecurity
They keep all their own replacement stock, which is good for biosecurity. “Biosecurity is absolutely drilled into us now with the threat of African swine fever,” Molly said.
“We just take the preventative method. We’ve got gates at both ends of the farm and I’ve made posters in pink to catch people’s eye. I’ve made it obvious where you have to sign in, and where to wash your boots.”
People visiting the farm are asked to phone to get permission to enter, and that’s only after vehicles’ wheels have been disinfected.
“Some deliveries we class as high-risk, such as creep, because they go to lots of different farms, so we get that delivered outside the farm in a lay-by, and we’ll go and pick it up,” Molly said.
When it comes to animal health, the team vaccinates for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome four times a year and flu three times a year.
Finding her feet
Molly has always been on the farm. She was driving when she was 10 years old and helping to feed the sows when she was 14. By the time she was 16 and at Easton College, she’d return to the farm two days a week, and every other weekend.
“I don’t actually remember a time when I wasn’t working on the farm,” Molly said. “I love the animals and I love the outdoors.
“I absolutely see myself as a role model, but I try not to dramatise it. Let’s not make out we’re all amazing because we’re women in farming – there are a lot of men who do fabulously well, too.
“I think you need the mix, 100%; we have female staff who are great, and they are no different to anyone else. We’re all equal.”
Molly was on a Women in Agriculture panel at the British Pig & Poultry Fair, discussing, among other things, how the gender gap could be closed.
“As long as women are welcomed and treated equally and encouraged into the industry, why does it matter?” Molly said.
An exciting future for Pigs In…
With her catering for weddings, parties and farm walks through Pigs In…, Molly is showcasing the value of locally sourced, high-welfare pork and is also strengthening community ties.
Just before she collected her new vehicle, Molly explained that while she loved the style of her existing converted horse trailer, she needed a larger vehicle that would enable her to easily cater for more people.
“Rather than buying another trailer and then another truck, I chose to buy a Luton-style van, which I will customise with my brand,” Molly said.
“My new van will have better signage, with messages including ‘Committed to British farmers’ and 100% free-range pork, sourced from our family farm,” Molly said.
“When I’m driving around, it should be quite helpful to have all of that signage on the back; I’ve spent the past two months getting together all my markets and messaging anyone who was having an event – I’ve got a packed calendar until Christmas.”
For a daytime event, Molly’s offering includes bacon rolls and sausage rolls, while for evening events she’ll sell pork burgers, pulled pork rolls or wraps, with hoisin and barbecue sauce, as well as loaded fries, haloumi fries and sweet potato fries.
Looking ahead
Molly is proud of what the family has achieved. However, they are looking into further diversification in the future.
“Long term, I’d like to have a Pigs In… cafe on the farm,” Molly said. “I’ll also be looking into things like schemes and grants and making sure we’re using them to the fullest.”
The farm trialled pick-your-own sunflowers two years ago, which went well, although, as Molly pointed out, it’s quite a hard crop to grow. “In five years’ time, when I have a little bit more involvement in the running of the farm and behind the scenes, I would look to make changes to the farm itself,” she said.
“My parents have done incredibly well to get to what we have now, and it would be nice to get to a point where we don’t have to rely on the council farm.”
Educating the next generation
Molly would like to be a ‘voice of the pig industry’, as a young person highlighting the career opportunities within it. When she was at Easton College, she was surprised at how pig farming was barely mentioned.
In a few weeks’ time, she is due to go into a school to speak to children about pig farming. “I think pig farming has a stigma that it’s not a great industry to work in. I’m really looking forward to getting into the school to address that,” she said.
“I’ve got free rein and I’m talking to four groups of different-aged children in 30-minute slots. I’m going to use PowerPoint and explain a bit about the lifecycle of a pig, the different breeds and Red Tractor. I am going to take a Ladies in Pigs recipe, brownies with bacon – they’ll love that, because it’s a bit different!
“I want to educate people about careers in pig farming and also get people to eat more pork,” Molly said, pointing out that pigs produced nowadays are very lean animals.
“Everyone’s obsessed with protein at the moment, like chicken and beef, so it’s about getting knowledge out there that there are so many things you can do with pork, and it is really healthy.”
The pig industry is fortunate to have such an enthusiastic and eloquent advocate.
