Keeping up with the demand….
….until now, we’ve been content to buy 6 to 8 piglets every year and sell a little pork. But the demand has far outstripped our supply….so much that we don’t even announce when our pigs are nearing harvest.
We think the exceptional flavor everyone raves about is due to the breeds we use—Tamworth and Gloucester Old Spot—but also to our insistence on using only non-GMO feed. The acorns we get in the fall certainly help, too.
The problem has been that raising pigs properly is very expensive and we’ve just not been able to even break even. In fact, we lose $2.70 on every pound of pork we sell. (Clearly not a sustainable business model.) Nevertheless, we’ve decided to change our procedures….starting with raising our own piglets. We’ve also found other feed suppliers who will work with us on price without sacrificing quality. And we will also experiment with a new pricing system that gives you a roll in deciding just how much you wish to pay.
So, while the proof of all this will be about a year from now, we have taken the first step on our journey. Here’s our new boar….I’d guess well over 600 pounds…purchased from Cathy Cochran’s Oak Hill Farm near Palmyra, Virginia. We brought along one of girl friends, so he would have some company on the trip. Grandson Church Matthews opens the gate and welcomes him to Thistle Hill Farm.
3 Comments
michael ortwein
Just ate some pork raised on pasture and hay from a fellow in Wisconsin, he just feeds one pound of grain a day, rest is pasture and hay, and the taste was very good–I have bought some of his feed stock, feed them two pounds a day , and am now supplementing with hay. Wednesday I am ordering a pig scale to see just how much they weigh, want to get them to 250 ponds, then harvest–will keep you posted on the progress.
David
Thanks Michael. Appreciate the input.
We’ve found some variation here among pigs….not all like to burrow or graze. And some definitely like hay but more like to burrow in it. Last night we thought we’d lost them but they were in that same pile….underneath…just a few ears sticking up.
We’re going to experiment with 5 pounds a day of non-GMO grain and see if they’ll forage for the rest. That’s for the boar and dry sows. We’ll feed sows with litters a pound of day per piglet. But the growing pigs will get all they can eat. We have found it more cost-effective to “sock it to ’em” for more fat more quickly.
Nothing is definite though. We’ll watch the pigs carefully not only to see that they’re growing…but they’re content. (I don’t want that boar mad at me. He was very tame arriving but he’s ferocious among his girls. I’m even thinking of taking my Glock along when I enter his domain.
David
One other comment: we’ve found that 300 pounds is a good target weight. That makes hanging weight about 200 pounds.
The taste seems optimum…the amount of meat is cost-effective…and they’re easy to handle at that size.