Life System Analysis Part 3: Risk, Delay, and Biological Cash Flow

Some losses hurt more than others.

(Bleach, my 3rd sow.)

Accidents after birth hit me the hardest, because by then I’ve already calculated the output—what the litter could have become, what it could have paid for, and what part of the system it would have stabilized. When that projected value disappears, it feels heavier than the actual loss.

Whenever there are newborn piglets, I get anxious when my mom sends photos. I always think the worst before I even open them. It has become a reflex.

That is the emotional cost of running a biological system remotely.

I usually consider selling a sow when she becomes operationally problematic.

(Sweeney, my first ever sow.)

That happened with Sweeney, my first sow. On her fifth parity, she went into estrus when her piglets were only 18 days old. She started rejecting them and even became aggressive, refusing to nurse properly. I had to deal with both loss of output and disruption of care at the same time.

It wasn’t really a pure loss event, because I eventually sold her and used the proceeds to pay off a high-interest loan. It functioned more as a forced liquidity decision rather than a failure of the asset itself.

Still, it was one of the first moments I realized that not all “assets” behave predictably.

With Brenda, I haven’t reached that point. After her re-insemination, my mom reported she recovered well after her UTI, including the abnormal white discharge. So far, she is stable, and I have not felt the need to consider selling her.
I also noticed something about myself—I don’t really experience the feeling of “I should have sold earlier.” My decisions are usually forward-looking rather than regret-driven, even when outcomes are unfavorable.

[Update: I already sold Brenda for she failed her second insemination again.]

The type of risk also changes depending on the animal.

(My mestisa sow, Maia. Currently have 6 piglets. 1 was stillborn.)

With mestizas, the threat is external—predators like snakes and bayawak since they are raised in a more open farm environment.

With hybrids, the risks are internal and mechanical: accidents, crushing, sow behavior, and farrowing-related issues.

Both types of risk require different kinds of attention.

I trust myself the most during farrowing nights, but I’m slowly learning to trust my mom and my brother more, even if that adjustment still feels uncomfortable at times.

(My brother Bryan who I relies on with my piglets.)

There is a difference between knowing someone can do the task and emotionally accepting that they will do it the way you would.
That gap is part of the system too.
Cash flow delays don’t just stay financial—they force asset liquidation decisions.

When liquidity tightens, I sell other animals or assets: a bull to my cousin, goats to my maternal aunt, and even my motorcycle to my sister.

(My 3rd motorcycle. Funny, my sister gave it back, she kind of just rented it for 7 months. She's returning it to me. My brother Bryan will be using it again for school.)

There are also multiple overlapping loans, but I can still manage them through timing and rotation. It is more stable now compared to when I still had the physical feed store, where cash flow was tighter and less flexible.

Back then, everything was tied to one system. Now, the system is fragmented—but more survivable.

All photos are mine.
GIF is on peakD itself.

Thank you for reading this far.
I still have part 4 and 5. Haha

See yah again.☺️