Our Story

Hello, we are Greg and Jess Pothast. We started our family farm, Grassy Run, in 2022. Why, you ask? Well, in 2019 we decided to raise some feeder pigs. Since then, we have raised pigs every year, with more and more people wanting to purchase heritage pork from us. We started the Grassy Run business to manage expenses and taxes. Along the way we found out a few things: we enjoy raising pigs, we produce quality pork, and we've spent some quality family time in and around the barns.

Fast forward to now, we have heritage feeder pigs, and our kids are involved in 4H, showing show pigs. This is an exciting time for us, as we are now offering show pigs. Pigs for show have a slightly different vibe than feeder pigs. We won't get into the details here, but we are now breeding pigs specifically for show.

Our two kids love pigs, and while they are not technically our 'management staff', they help a lot on our family farm, having fun interacting with the pigs. Our pigs, which are raised for heritage pork, enjoy engaging interactions, sunshine, pets, water play on hot days, play-time balls, fresh water, and locally grown, ground feed sourced right here in northwest Ohio.

There's a reason family farms have pigs. They are fun! Kids often enjoy hanging around these friendly, curious animals because they can be entertaining to watch and interact with. Many children are fascinated by the playful behavior, unique sounds, and muddy habits of pigs, especially when they are raised as show pigs. Our pigs are approachable, used to pets, fed, and played with regularly. Who doesn't like a good water play sesh!? Wait, are our kids closer to pigs than we think...maybe? And let's not forget about the delicious heritage pork they provide, making them even more special in our lives.

Greg grew up on a family farm in Ohio, where his family raised dairy cows, pigs, and cultivated grain and tomatoes. He learned the responsibilities of caring for animals from a young age. After college, he met his amazing wife, who was serving in the Air Force on active duty. Greg thought he could manage this 'love-thing' while traveling the country to support her in fighting bad guys. Eventually, she transitioned out of the military, and they had kids, moved back to Ohio, acquired some property, built a barn together, and started raising heritage pork with their pigs. Life is good. What started with their first show pigs, pictured above, turned into a continuous year of raising pigs for friends and family.

Here at Grassy Run, we operate as a family farm that does a few things differently. We are small scale, specializing in heritage pork for personal and small business use. We responsibly use vaccines and medications when needed, but we don't use any growth enhancers of any type. Our pigs have the freedom to spend time outside, enjoying sunshine and fresh air. As a side note, some of our show pigs (we have a few) love to play in the rain and mud, as shown above. We focus on lifestyle and product quality, rather than high efficiency and profit.

As a family, we decided we need our own barn on our family farm. Something small, something manageable, and something that truly feels like ours. While other people were seemingly frantic, losing their minds during COVID, we constructed a pole barn. Yes, every concrete, screw, measurement, and cut. It took some time, but we got it done, and have been working in it for three years now. Frankly, our family bonded over this project as we prepared for raising heritage pork and show pigs! Go team!

At our family farm, we often say we raise and show pigs, because it's not always 'correct' to say we raise and show our friends, but here we are. Here are our boys enjoying some apples from the tree, alongside one of our gilts. Although she no longer shows, she can be seen hanging out with the family until she eventually farrows, contributing to our heritage pork.