We added piglets to our farm in 2004 as temporary residents. We referred to them as "temporary" because they were only here for about six months. We purchased Tamworth piglets at weaning from a farmer who raised them without antibiotics or vaccines, and we raised them on pasture until they weighed about 200 pounds, at which point they were sent to the processor to become pork. In mid-2007, we decided to try our hand at truly raising pigs, so we purchased a couple of gilts (young females) with the boars that we were raising for meat. Through early 2008, we will still be selling pork from pigs that were purchased from another farm, but we hope to have our own piglets born in spring 2008 for fall processing.

We chose Tamworths because they are a rare breed of pig from England and are noted for their delicious pork. They are also an old-fashioned breed that is considered “unimproved” by modern livestock standards. That means it does well on pasture, although it does not gain weight as fast as modern breeds. This is fine with us, because grass-fed meat is healthier than grain-fed for people, the planet and the animals.

Our pigs are never given vaccines or other medications. They can eat as much grass as they want, because they are kept on pasture. Of course, they have a shelter so they can get out of the sun and the wind when they want. They are also fed conventionally-grown corn and/or oats -- organic when we can purchase it locally -- fresh milk from our goats, eggs from our chickens, and scraps from our kitchen. However, they are NEVER fed pork or any food that contains artificial ingredients. Depending upon the season, they may also eat a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables from our orchard or garden.

Pork is available as a half hog (about 70-80 pounds) or a whole hog (140-160 pounds). Although this may sound like a lot of pork, a whole hog will fit into three picnic coolers. Our last pork was processed and sold in November 2007. If you are interested in purchasing pork in the future, please contact us to be put on our waiting list. We are currently taking deposits for pigs that will be processed in February 2008. To make sure we have a pig for you, we need a $50 deposit on a half pig or $100 deposit on a whole. Prices will be $2.75 per pound for a half hog and $2.50 per pound for a whole. You also pay the processor $25 ($12.50 for half hog) plus 40 cents per pound for cutting and wrapping the meat.