Pork

Idaho Pasture Pigs

Our hogs are Idaho Pasture Pigs, a recently registered breed created from a triple cross of three heritage breeds- Berkshire, Duroc and Kune Kune. Sure, we’re biased, but we think IPPs are the best of all worlds. They have the prized gourmet meat of Berkshire pork renowned by chefs for its rich color and superior taste and texture. They have the hardiness and mothering ability of the Duroc. And they have the sweet disposition, inclination to graze, and ultra short snout of the Kune Kune- which makes them less capable of digging deep field ruts. Put it all together and you have a delicious, well-muscled, friendly pig that enjoys foraging but is less destructive on pasture.

We work with our pigs to achieve higher quality grazing fodder for all our livestock. It’s our strong belief that pigs should be allowed to be pigs! And that means rooting. Our job as conscientious farmers is to create systems that apply their natural talents in beneficial ways. We practice rotational pasture management, and allow our pigs to work the soil for us in preparation for broadcast seeding perennial species like orchard grass and clovers. They also provide a pulse of disturbance and remove less desirable plants like bull thistle and blackberry. Once the hogs and chickens have rotated through a paddock for a number of seasons, the fields can begin to support ruminants (in our case, sheep) who require higher quality forage to meet their nutritional needs.

These lucky pigs also get cull crops seasonally from our organic seed farm neighbors, and certified organic feed from Scratch & Peck. We like to finish the hogs on fruit from organic orchards.

As a farrow-to-finish operation, and raise our own frisky piglets right here on the farm.