As Americans, we’re faced with a lot of choices when it comes to our health and diet. And for those of us who choose to eat meat, most often it’s convenient to buy the cheapest and most accessible cuts to cook at home. For the longest time, I would patrol the price-cut “yellow sticker” meat section and stock my freezer with that because I thought I was being a savvy shopper. I had no idea where the meat come from or how it was raised and slaughtered. I just thought I was getting a good deal, but ignorance is bliss! I had no idea what I was missing out on...

What exactly does “heritage breed” mean? It’s more than just having historic agricultural significance. The term applies to livestock breeds that have been raised for hundreds of years before the industrialization of agriculture. They used to be the pigs that all small farmers raised. As soon as we started to “mass produce” pork, those breeds became unsuitable for those conditions, and new hybrid breeds of pigs were favored. A heritage breed pig will differ from a conventional breed in that they were bred for longevity in a free range environment. Pigs are natural foragers and flourish with plenty sunlight. Their stock is sturdy, but slower to grow. And, maybe most importantly, they’re bred for taste! The meat is sweeter and the fat is more flavorful which is due to their living conditions and diet. Conventionally farmed pigs are raised in uncomfortably close quarters, are fattened with a high grain diet, then forced grow quickly for a faster turnaround. Because the meat is not particularly flavorful, much of the pig is unacceptable for consumption, and is wasted. Wasted.

However, every bit of a free range heritage breed pig can be eaten, and can be the most mouth watering piece of pork you’ve ever tasted. Nothing is wasted! The blood? Blood sausage. The liver? Pate. The bones? Pork stock. Even the head is used, and contains arguably some of the most tender and tasty bits of meat. We can eat the WHOLE pig. That’s something you just can’t do with conventional breed pigs. Now most us will never want or need to cook up a pig head or kidneys, and that’s just fine. But, never fear, because those cuts will find there way into someone’s kitchen. So for me, that’s the most important reason to buy and eat heritage breed pork.
After I educated myself on the differences between heritage breeds and conventional I couldn't go back to my “yellow sticker” ways. Now I feel a responsibility when I choose what meat I eat. It’s a privilege, and I want to eat and cook accordingly!

Posted by: Jackie Botto

Sources:

Livestock Conservancy site
The Nourishing Gourmet

Here at Stryker Farm we raise pigs "farrow-to-finish" which means that we raise breeding stock as well as butcher hogs. This type of operation is  not very common because it requires a lot of time and careful management but it gives us the advantage of having complete control over the quality and quantity of heritage breed pork we produce.  

The most difficult part of farrow-to-finish is the farrow, which is when the pigs are born. For the first 3-5 days a piglet is very vulnerable to dying from crushing, cold, infection and predators. A dead piglet is a big financial loss for a farmer so most "modern" farms take the risk out by using indoor farrowing crates. These crates are designed so sows can only stand up and lie down and therefore are less likely to step or roll on the newborn piglets. Although these crates are successful at preventing piglet death they have animal welfare drawbacks.

Here on Stryker Farm we do not use farrowing crates, rather we let sows give birth outside or in bedded shelters. At first, we struggled with keeping piglets alive and lost nearly 50% of litters. This was not only discouraging but our profitability went down the drain. Over time we learned how to better manage the sows and by following the guidelines below we've been able to lower our piglet mortality rate to around 15%.

The first lesson we learned was to use a good sow. A good sow must be calm and careful when lying down. She must have instincts to make a comfortable nest for herself and her piglets. She must be protective of her litter but not mean. She needs to have ample nipples and produce a good amount of milk. She needs to be healthy and have desirable genetics to pass on to her offspring.

We also learned to adapt to current weather conditions. During the warm months, April-September, we allow the pigs to farrow outdoors.  Generally this just means we put a bale of straw under a tree and let her do her thing. Sometimes we will set up a metal port-a-hut with bedding to provide even more protection from the elements. When the weather is extremely hot, over 90 deg F, we make mud puddles near the sow's nest so she can occasionally get muddy and cool off .

We also realized that privacy is important. Sows like to farrow in a secluded, private place where other pigs won't bother them or their piglets. When we put port-a-huts or straw bedding out in the woods we space them far apart so that every sow has her own space and there are no territorial disputes. 

So there you have it, a brief introduction to pasture-farrowing. It might seem like a lot of work but we wouldn't have it any other way!