RN's chronicler of all things rural - Bush Telegraph - is staging a bold experiment, raising a pig to start a debate about free range farming and animal welfare. Over the coming months you can decide how to rear Wilbur 101 by voting in our Facebook polls.

It's not every day RN listeners decide if a pig should be castrated, but that's the decision you're facing today.

Stuart and Tammi Jonas of Jonai Farms in central Victoria have agreed to let you decide how best to rear one of their pigs. They've given Bush Telegraph custody of a newborn Large Black male piglet called Wilbur 101.

Wilbur 101 will be ready for slaughter by about Christmas. Between now and then it's up to you to vote in regular online polls and decide how best to be a free range farmer.

The very first question is should Wilbur 101 be castrated?

Listening to the interview with Tammi and Stuart on Bush Telegraph is the best way to inform your decision, but here's a quick summary of the pros and cons to get started.

The benefits

Castration avoids problems with boar taint that can affect meat flavour.

Castration stops the male pigs impregnating their sisters.

Castration makes the male pigs more docile so they're easier to manage.

The negatives

Castration inflicts pain on the animal.

Castration changes the behaviour of the animal, which contradicts the free range philosophy of allowing the farmed animal to exist close to its natural state.

The first vote is open now at the RN Facebook page.

If you vote to castrate, Stuart will perform the operation that takes about two minutes.

'The piglet is placed on the table, secured in a secure position, the area is sterilised and a sterile knife is then used to make a little incision. Then the testicle is pulled out and pulled off,' he said.

For welfare reasons it's important that this decision is made quickly and the procedure performed before Wilbur 101 is six weeks old.

Some important points to remember

Wilbur 101 is not a pet. He will be killed and butchered before Christmas this year and then sold to be eaten.

The plan is to get a better understanding of the challenges, costs and rewards of a free range system and allow you to make informed choices that you think are in the best interests of the animal and the farm business.

It's also about helping you get more in touch with the food that is grown in Australia.

You can regularly keep up to date with Wilbur's progress by following #btpig on Twitter or listening to Bush Telegraph.

Tammi and Stuart will endeavour to be guided by Bush Telegraph listeners but they maintain the right to veto the vote in the interests of the animal.

Listen to the interview with Tammi and Stuart on Bush Telegraph at 11.40 am Friday 17 May or find the podcast here.