Pigs in the Pasture
Grazing pigs
Most people can easily imagine a herd of cows grazing on grass, but pigs? Check out our pigs happily munching on grass in this video!
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Pigs are intelligent creatures that require mental stimulation to thrive. A pasture environment allows pigs to fully realize their resourceful foraging, rooting, and wallowing instincts. It wasn't so long ago that homesteaders would turn their pigs loose in the forest for the season to fatten on their own, only to sort and muster them up for slaughter when they were ready. Raising pigs in this traditional way keeps the animals healthy, happy and self-sufficient.
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Working together for sustainability
Life in the pasture isn't just what's best for the pigs...it's also excellent for the land. Adding pigs to our grazing program has boosted soil fertility in an extraordinary way. Pigs perform the critical tasks of cultivation and fertilization to restore overgrown areas with excess compaction or poor fertility. They clear overgrown forest to mitigate fire hazard and help convert decaying wood into soil. They help eradicate harmful plant pests that live in the soil and even seem to target some noxious weeds like ventanata grass. We even employ them as "rototillers with a pulse" from time to time, utilizing their rooting instincts to cultivate garden patches and their wallows to develop ponds!
The pigs at Texas Ridge
Berkshire Pigs
Meet Mo, the 850 pound purebred Berkshire boar whose genetics have significantly influenced our pig herd. Berkshires are a rare breed that have been favored for centuries for their outstanding meat qualities. In Japan, Kurobuta pork, which comes from purebred Berkshires is considered to be the Kobe beef of pork. We also love Berkshires for their relatively short snout that makes them better grazers. Mo's breeding brings outstanding carcass quality, intramuscular fat, improved finish times, juiciness and tenderness to all of the pork we produce. In spite of his intimating size and protruding tusks, Mo is a gentle giant who is safe with children and piglets alike.
Meet Mo, the 850 pound purebred Berkshire boar whose genetics have significantly influenced our pig herd. Berkshires are a rare breed that have been favored for centuries for their outstanding meat qualities. In Japan, Kurobuta pork, which comes from purebred Berkshires is considered to be the Kobe beef of pork. We also love Berkshires for their relatively short snout that makes them better grazers. Mo's breeding brings outstanding carcass quality, intramuscular fat, improved finish times, juiciness and tenderness to all of the pork we produce. In spite of his intimating size and protruding tusks, Mo is a gentle giant who is safe with children and piglets alike.
Idaho Pasture Pigs (IPPs)
The IPP is a relatively new breed that was developed by combining 3 breeds, Duroc, Berkshire, and Kune kune. They are smaller framed pigs with short snouts that prefer grazing to rooting. Our IPPs are crossed with Berkshire again to improve their carcass quality and speed finish times. These pigs are extremely athletic, and we often see them run and jump out in the pasture. Click here to see them in action! Our foundation IPP sows were Twoface, Shorty, and Stripe.
The IPP is a relatively new breed that was developed by combining 3 breeds, Duroc, Berkshire, and Kune kune. They are smaller framed pigs with short snouts that prefer grazing to rooting. Our IPPs are crossed with Berkshire again to improve their carcass quality and speed finish times. These pigs are extremely athletic, and we often see them run and jump out in the pasture. Click here to see them in action! Our foundation IPP sows were Twoface, Shorty, and Stripe.
Red Wattle Hogs
A rare heritage breed, Red Wattle hogs are known for their award winning flavor and carcass traits, even on a pasture-based diet. They are quite smart and are much harder to manage in a conventional system, which is fine for us since we don't run one! Learn more about Red Wattles here. Our foundation Red Wattle Hog sows were Ruby, Earthmover and Garnet, and their offspring Elle, and Little Elle.
A rare heritage breed, Red Wattle hogs are known for their award winning flavor and carcass traits, even on a pasture-based diet. They are quite smart and are much harder to manage in a conventional system, which is fine for us since we don't run one! Learn more about Red Wattles here. Our foundation Red Wattle Hog sows were Ruby, Earthmover and Garnet, and their offspring Elle, and Little Elle.
Mothering the next generation
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Maternal instinct is another hallmark of heritage breed pigs, which matches our philosophy that pigs should be able to birth and mother their offspring with minimal intervention from us.
Our sows do a fantastic job keeping their piglets safe, without farrowing crates or elaborate containment systems. They give birth and rear their piglets with other sows and their piglets nearby. The other sows help "babysit" all of the piglets, keeping a sharp eye out for anything that looks like trouble. |
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Simply better...for everyone
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Not only is life in the pasture better for the animals, it's better for the people too. Check out some of these great articles that discuss the health and environmental benefits of pastured pork.
Pasture-Raised Pork Benefits and Why You Should Switch 5 Reasons to Switch to Pastured Pork |
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