2024 Pork now available !
Scroll down to the "Heritage Pastured Pork for sale"
subheading for available cuts and their prices.
Contact whitscust@gmail.com for details.
Both settled in very quickly, finding the deep thatch and rich, soft topsoil ideal for rooting. With lots of old logs to dig up and find food around (grubs, quack grass, roots and other tasty things), they should find our new pig field a delightful place to live.
More fun photos and facts about Tamworth pigs to follow...
February 27 2024: I have sourced two purebred Tamworth pigs, due to arrive late March or early April. Due to the very limited number of abattoirs that accept livestock from small farms (and fewer still the number that accept swine), I have already booked a harvest date for November 7th.
Next tasks are to order some of the pigs food crops - oats and other forage crops, and mangels - a type of oversized beet that is unpalatable for people but much liked by root eating animals.
In the past we have had Berkshire and Devon Black pigs; our last pair were Devon Black crossed with Tamworth.
The Tamworth pig is descended from an extinct breed known as the Irish Grazers, which were imported to Staffordshire and bred with the local red pigs of that region. By the late 1800's the Tamworth was a recognized breed, awarded for it's lean, fine grained meat and high meat to bone ratio.
Descended in part as it is from forest dwelling breeds of Staffordshire, the Tamworth is well suited to outdoor life (they do not do well in confined settings) and are excellent foragers. The trade-off is that they are slow growers.
Tamworth's declined in popularity with the advent of factory farming; in the 1970's, efforts were made to cross different lines from a variety of countries to broaden the gene pool of the breed and increase the overall population. Today they are a popular choice for small farms.
Another good attribute is that they are very docile and mild tempered.
I have booked the abattoir for November 7th (and reserved a cancellation option for late October), so I will be contacting interested customers for their cut preferences a few weeks before then. CSA customers pay for pork separately, and have first option to purchase.
Heritage Pastured Pork for sale
We are proud to offer delicious heritage pastured pork for sale. This is a very special product! Scroll further down for information on the pigs and their pasture.
Please find below the price list for our available cuts.
Orders are filled on a first come, first serve basis. E-mail Bob to reserve your pork - detail the type of cuts and the quantity you want.
I will contact you to confirm the price, payment options and delivery date. I can deliver to Lanark County, Perth, Stittsville, Kanata, and Ottawa around Centrepointe. Other locations may be discussed if the order is of a sufficient size.
The pork was CFIA inspected and butchered at Farmersville Community Abattoir, Addison, Ontario.
Updated Pork Inventory - many cuts are selling out quickly - this is what we have left:
2024 prices:
PRICE LIST
Ground Pork: $10.00 Lb.
27 Packages ranging from 1 Lb to 1.4 Lb.
There are two packages of 2 and 2.2 Lb respectively.
Leg Roast (aka Ham Roast): $12.00 Lb
8 Packages ranging from 2.7 to 4.3 Lbs each.
Shoulder Roast (with bones) $12.00 /Lb
16 Packages ranging from 2.1 to 3.4 Lbs
Pork Loin Chops: $12.00 Lb - 2 chops per package, 3/4 inch thick
30 packages ranging from .9 to 1.7 Lbs.
3 packages with 1 chop each, .5, .5, and .8 Lbs respectively.
Side pork (Some call this side bacon) $10.00 / Lb
23 Packages ranging from 1.1 Lbs to 1.8 Lbs.
Spare Ribs $14.00/Lb:
8 packages ranging from .8 to 1.2 Lbs
Hocks $6.00/Lb:
About 4 packages, yet to be inventoried.
2024: Once again, we are prepared to take on a pair of piglets. A flurry of activity in the new pig field late last year: fencing the field, establishing paddocks by digging in lots of stakes or electric and non-electric fencing, and moving objects such as their irrigation and hutch to the new living area.
In past years, I have preferred the piglets born around May. Everyone else seems to want these as well. So I worked extra hard to have the field ready for a March delivery.
While auguring in new fence posts, we turned up a number of archeological items, including bottles o horse liniment and horseshoes.
New hay was purchased from Littledown Farm in all 2023, to be used as fodder in early spring, and bedding and insulation throughout the rest o the year.
2023: We are hoping to secure a pair of piglets this season. Let us know if you are interested...
2021:
It was a nerve wracking spring. We were on the waiting list from three farms. One farm ceased operations due to covid. Another farm had a boar that failed to sire piglets. Hillary at Maple Lane informed me that they had a successful litter, but I knew I was not near the top of their list and piglets can sometimes fail to thrive before they are weaned and ready for transport to their new farm.
Finally, the day arrived, and I was backing the trailer into the training yard. The door opened, and after some initial wariness, our two piglets figured out the routine...where the places to graze were and when I was expected to bring their breakfast. Before long, they were at home and eagerly exploring each fresh paddock that I led them to.
Their greatest excitement (aside from breakfast and supper) were when I arrived with the weed trimmer to cut the long grass away from the electric fence. They would sneak up behind me and when I noticed them, I would flick grass clippings their way and rev the engine, causing them to jump about, bark, and flee...only to repeat again until they finally tired of what I assume is some kind of game for them.
The day that a tractor arrived to plow a neighboring field, they ran up and down the fence line, again expressing what must be excitement. They certainly were not afraid. Is it the sound of the engine? The vast quantity of soil being turned up like a giant sized snout? Novelty? I'll never know. Animals are a great mystery.
About our Pigs
This is the fourth season in which I have pastured piglets on our farm, and the second time I have pastured pigs in Lanark.Healthy prairies, steppes, and velds thrive when large and mid-size herbivores regularly graze and trample the soil. It renews these habitats regularly, fertilizes the soil, and breaks up the soil crust to allow better moisture infiltration.
Although pigs are naturally a forest dwelling creature, they provide a substitute for cattle, horses, and other livestock that work pastures on small farms. Traditionally, they were used to break up new ground in preparation for planting crops. They are hardy animals, requiring little more than basic shelter from wind, rain and snow, ample source of water, and shade during the summer.
I have had previous experience with two varieties: Berkshire Pigs, an old breed much prized for its marbled meat; and Devon Blacks. This year, we purchased our piglets from Maple Lane Farm, just a few miles from us. Hillary and Nick breed and raise pigs that are a cross of Devon Blacks and Tamworths.
Despite their size, they are known for their docile and friendly behavior. They are particularly suited to our local climate and are well adapted for pasturing.
Our pigs were raised in the great outdoors of Lanark Highlands, with plenty of room to exercise and root in the soil. In addition to their pasture forage, they were fed certified organic vegetarian feed to ensure they were receiving all of their micro nutrients. They received no artificial medications or hormones. I included a recommended amount of certified organic feed grade diatomaceous earth to control internal parasites.
While they were pre-occupied with their morning ration of mash, I would walk a circuit of the field to inspect the fence and hide their treats in various places - this helped ensure they were ranging to all parts of the pasture in equal measure. It also gave them some novelty. By the time I was three quarters of the way around the field, they were leaving their feed station to trot along the fence lines, sniffing under the trees and getting quite excited. I called it the snack patrol.
With both of them preoccupied, I could change the straw in their hutch, clean their water trough, or turn off the electric fence to adjust their paddocks and make minor repairs.
Harvest day is always a tough one for many of us farmers. I make a point of leaving the gate open when they are gone, a couple of carrots cast onto the ground in the direction of the forest.