Two months since we introduced the pigs, and things are going much more smoothly.

They've doubled in size in two months. It's been wet, on and off, and when its wet they make short work of their patch. The task of moving their temporary fencing became more and more tiresome, so I invested in more fencing. Now I set up a long, long run, and move them along it in segments. On a good day it takes me 20 minutes to move them on.

On the complete reset days its two hours work.

Overall they are doing a good job on the blackberries. I'm guessing they are turning out more than 80% of the root balls. It's a bit patchy though. Some spots they don't dig much, others they work it down to 30 cm. But when we've finished going through the rows, we'll turn it round and come through in columns, so every segment will get done twice.

Up to 100 blackberry plants per square metre. No grass, just blackberries…

Olive row prior to pigs

Can you see where they've been?

And they are less tricky. Now when I need to move them, or make changes to the fence, I time it to the feeding time. They recognize me now, and when they see me coming excitedly run up and down their pen, then stay focused on the feed while I do my work. We haven't had a Great Escape since we moved them out of the house orchard.

What we have had, though, is incursions. One of our steers has got it into his head that the pigs get it better than him. He regularly jumps the fence…or rather, jumps onto the fence….and guzzles their water. When I show up I find the fence damaged and all their water gone.

Our kelpie runs up and down in parallel with them, not actually chasing them, but not quite playing as an equal.

The Jack Russell unfortunately stuck his head through the fence and got zapped. He thinks the pigs did it to him and now won't go near them.