‘Here we are’: science teacher finds passion for pig farming

Darren Cox has spent decades teaching Tasmanian high school students about physics and chemistry but he recently picked up a side career in a new field of science — biology.

In 2021, Mr Cox decided to drop a couple of his days at the local school in the state’s north-west and instead turn his hand to free-range pig farming.

He set about adapting his lush, 70-acre property for his new project.

“People told me, having a small acreage, ‘why don’t you try pigs?’

“So here we are,” the science teacher said, tipping buckets of vegetable waste from a nearby supermarket into a throng of snuffling pigs.

“My main study was physics and chemistry, and this is more biology. So, it’s sort of like a new scientific avenue for me.”

Ever the teacher, Mr Cox said he had also found synergies between his blossoming pig business and his grade 9 and 10 science classes.

“I haven’t yet [brought the kids to the farm],” he said.

“You’ve got to be careful, because people are quite happy to eat the meat, but when they see a cute little piglet … they might think otherwise.”

The pig farmer has grown his herd to sit around the 40 mark — not quite large enough to hang up his lab coat, but just enough to ease his teaching load.

It is a move that aligns with Mr Cox’s philosophy of creating a balance in life, honed by years of Tai Chi and peaceful rural living.

“There’s nothing like watching them … it’s lovely,” he said.

But Mr Cox said life on the farm did come with some dangers, including an accidental run-in with a boar.

“He knocked the [feed] bucket, missed the bucket, and his tusk went into my leg,” Mr Cox said.

“I had about 14 stitches there. That put me out of action for about two weeks.

“He was very friendly … but still, it just shows you’ve got to keep your wits about you at all times.”

High school reunion

When the time comes for his porkers to go to slaughter, Mr Cox carts them off to his local abattoir before sending them to a butcher down the road.

That butcher happens to be former student Jai North.

“Yeah, Darren used to be my teacher in school. He’s a good guy,” the 28-year-old said.

“Back in the day, I didn’t want to go to school, so my parents sort of hit me with a deal that if I didn’t want to go to school, I needed a job.”

Mr North landed himself an apprenticeship before “accidentally” buying a shop in his home town.

“I walked in the door and applied for a job … and then the owner told me he was probably going to have to close the doors. He’d put in a lot of years, a lot of work,” the butcher said.

He was just 21 years of age at the time, but Mr North convinced his grandparents to lend him some cash, and then bought the business. 

“That was a bit of a rough conversation to tell the family at that point,” he laughed.

Much like his old science teacher, Mr North recently took a step back from full-time butchering, picking up work at a nearby iron mine in the hopes of spending more time with his young family.

“It warms the heart … to see them grown up and doing well,” Mr Cox answered, when asked what it was like to work with former students.