Photo supplied.
Tom and Kerri surrounded by their heritage pigs who roam freely in the field like their ancestors, foraging for food to supplement their already varied diet.
Pigs were introduced to North America over 500 years ago, when they were prized for their utility, hardiness, foraging ability, meat and fat, but this noble animal has been under attack now for over a century.
1846, Canadian Dr. Abraham Gesner distilled coal and created what he called kerosene. Eight years later, the kerosene lamp was invented, slowly forcing animal-oil lamps off the market. The mass production of kerosene, spearheaded by John D. Rockefeller, effectively rendered animal fats obsolete for lighting purposes. The fattier heritage pig population took a hit.
Diesel fuel, chemical and mechanical technology all combined in the mid-19th century to dramatically increase field crop production, resulting in massive grain surpluses. Lower grain prices made it more profitable to confine livestock in buildings and feed them grain instead of allowing them to forage for food. Armed with some questionable science, the pharmaceutical industry successfully lobbied governments and effectively shifted the North American diet to highly processed grains and unsaturated fatty acids, fostering an association of saturated animal fats with clogged arteries and pending heart attacks. The demand for the practical and delicious saturated fat from a heritage hog fell dramatically, forcing farmers to adapt. The fattier heritage pig population took another hit.
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Heritage pigs headed home.
So began the high stakes race of selective animal husbandry. Pigs that were once admired for their ability to thrive outdoors in all seasons were no longer desirable. A hog soaking up the sun, fattening itself on acorns in the fall, was now viewed as ‘unhealthy’. Farmers want to produce food that consumers will buy, so corn, soya and concentrated animal feeding operations (aka feedlots) popped up all over our continent. It wasn’t long until the meat (especially pork) stocked by our grocery stores came from super-fast growing, corn and soy oil eating lean machines!
Thankfully, with time and communication, trends can be reversed. Cholesterol, saturated animal fats, livestock outdoors feeding the soil, are no longer enemies. As a matter of fact, there is an overwhelming amount of evidence confirming this. So begins the comeback of the heritage pig.
In this context, heritage pigs are ones that our forefathers would have raised. In addition to acting as a source of food, they played a critical role on the farm, and were used for plowing, tilling, fertilizing, grub control, pond digging, soap, balms, hide for leather, and the list goes on.
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These resourceful and intelligent creatures appreciate their circumstances at this sustainable local farm.
Even Homer Simpson appreciates that the pig is a highly resourceful, unique and intelligent animal. Pigs raised outdoors exhibit a glaringly obvious connection with the soil. They are tribal, they communicate with each other messages from despair to joy. They have a pecking order, they know that sleeping in a pig pile on a cold night benefits the team, they protect their skin by rolling in the mud on hot sunny days, they don’t defecate where they eat, sleep and drink. Like humans, they can extract nutrients from a vast range of matter, including fermenting dairy products.
Heritage pigs are highly adaptable, efficient and pleasant animals that provide much more than protein. Fat from a pig raised under the sun contains concentrated levels of vitamin D second only to a few fish oils. Their meat is nutrient dense, with a pound of it providing more energy, vitamins and minerals than any truck load of leafy greens from Mexico.
The reader might find it a paradox that a pork breeder expresses admiration and respect for their pigs, yet are the ones responsible for their demise. This is true, it is not easy, but we like to think of our hogs as having one bad day. During their life at our farm, these animals experience the four Canadian seasons, live on a diet that likely contains more variety than that of most humans. They do their part in upcycling resources ranging from spent brewers grains, hemp and culled vegetables, to ice cream! They get to tour the acreage here on the rolling hills, finding walnuts, apples, pears, grubs, roots, grasses, weeds, acorns, and cherries. We respect and treat our livestock with care. Our hens follow the pigs around foraging for whatever the pigs may have missed. Our two dogs do a good job keeping danger away; earning some meat and eggs for their contribution.
Putting carbon back into the soil is important it feeds the plants that help feed our hogs and hens. We are embracing technology that our forefathers would have given their eyeteeth for (water pipe, electric fencing, internet etc.) to help find our spot between an unattainable traditional small farm and a concentrated animal feeding operation. We want to sell a higher quality product, derived from well-respected animals raised in a sustainable system. It’s not easy, overly lucrative, or sexy, but it’s fun and it makes us happy. And we are far from alone; there are many local farmers yearning for the opportunity to nourish their customers with higher quality and tastier food. We strongly believe this continent will continue to ‘go backwards’ in terms of food production and dietary choices. We believe it’s healthier for us, for you and for the soil to seek out higher quality food. Customers who pay the small premium enable farmers like us to raise heritage pigs in healthier, more natural ways and keep these breeds relevant.
Whether you support us because we are young-ish and local, because we respect our animals, or because you love our tastier pork, we thank you. Long live the heritage hog!
By Tom Staples
