Our Pastured Meat
We raise pastured animals that eat forage and grain rations consisting of oats, peas and barley. We NEVER feed any of our animals corn or soy. Our livestock are as natural as they come and never get chemicals, antibiotics, hormones or any other nasty stuff that you wouldn't want to put into your body.
The only way we can do this is by having small, closed herds where we do not introduce outside diseases by constantly bringing in new animals ( feeders ). We farrow our sows early Spring inside our 100 year old barn with access to the outside barnyard. The babies are offered a heat lamp for the first few weeks until they are able to adapt to the cool air.
We also ensure the health of our animals by giving them high quality loose minerals on offer 24/7 (or mixed in feed) as well as herbs when needed. One herb we use a lot of is wild nettle, as it provides a wide variety of minerals and vitamins as well as promotes lactation.
Our rotational grazing program promotes optimum health by offering new pasture often. This provides high-quality forage at all times and keeps them away from dirt and mud where parasites and harmful bacteria can grow. A pig's natural life is one that is constantly roving in prairie and woods.
Since we butcher in Autumn we finish both our cows and pigs on apples from our 40 year old trees. This makes for super tasty meat and very happy animals.
Ethical Meat Available
We will have Half Hogs of Berkshire/Mangalica cross available in Spring and Late Autumn
Berkshire is a heritage breed of pig, which was discovered over 300 years ago in Berkshire County in the United Kingdom. Berkshire pork is renowned for its richness, texture, marbling, juiciness, tenderness and overall depth of flavor. It is thought by many to be the Kobe beef of pork. It is said to have a very specific taste, not generic and bland or mild like regular pork. They were specially bred for the King of England for his own personal meat supply, because of the excellence in the meat!
The Mangalica is one of the fattiest pigs in the world; on average 65-70% of the carcass is fat, and lean meat is only 30 - 35% of the carcass, compared to over 50% in modern breeds. But that meat is considered among the tastiest pork in the world. The meat of the Mangalica pig is reddish, highly marbled with creamy white fat, and is high in omega-3 fatty acids and natural antioxidants. This is due to the natural diet of forage, oats, peas and barley. Mangalica lard is lighter, and melts at a lower temperature, than lard from other pigs, because it contains more healthy unsaturated fat. Our cross of these two breeds makes for some extraordinary pork!
Half Hog Cost Break-Down
Average Half Hog Hanging Weight is 80-85 lbs
You pay us $5.50 per pound
(we give you a discount if you get a whole hog)
You pay the slaughterman $40
(or make your own arrangements)
You pay the butcher $.65 cents per pound (he gives you a discount too if you get a whole hog). You specify what sort of cuts you would like.
Average Total Cost for a Half Hog = $550
(cost depends on weight)
If you prefer to use another butcher/processor let us know and we will accommodate.
Our Energy Invested
Since we farrow, we work all year long caring for our 3 sows and 1 boar in the most loving way you can imagine.
In the Winter we bucket feed and water twice daily and give fresh straw bedding every couple of days. They have access to 2 acres of pasture in the winter but prefer to stay close to the barn when there is snow on the ground. They also get fruit and veggies nearly every single day from the local grocery store. We're talkin' kiwi, bananas, broccoli, strawberries, green beans, tomatoes and so much more! It amounts to approx. 16-20 hours per week of work for us and when we have piglets, a lot more!
In Summer we move them to different pastures so they have fresh forage to frolic and eat. This means moving their shelter, water and feed along with the fence- it's a lot of work! It amounts to approx 8-10 hours per week.
We choose to raise small batches of pigs because it aligns with our ethics and we refuse to go big which will undermine our ability to care for our animals in the most loving and healthy way we can.
Half Hog Cut Sheet
SMOKED OPTIONS
Bacon
Ham
Shoulder Roast
Loin Roast
Pork Hocks
CHOPS
Thickness 5/8" 3/4" 1" 11/4"
Number per Package
Fresh Side Pork
HAM
Steak
Hocks
Roast
Ribs
SHOULDER
Steak
Roast
SAUSAGE
Sumer
Smoked Rings/Links
Fresh Links/Yard
Bologna
Wieners