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Frequently Asked Questions

Why Choose Large Black hogs?

 

  • Large Blacks are considered a bacon type hog. This is the kind of pig your great-grandparents used to raise, because hogs were valued for their lard. They used it to make soap, candles, and even preserved meat in it. Doctors have changed their tune regarding lard in the past years and now it is considered one of the healthier fats to eat for good health. We use the lard to cook, fry and bake all the time. 

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  • Since the hogs get fat, the meat micro-marbles. The pork will look more like beef, which lots of inter-muscular fat. This makes the meat super juicy and tender. 

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  • Large Black hogs make excellent mothers. We usually get litters of 8-10 piglets each time. The sows are very nurturing, have plenty milk and do a great job of taking care of their young. They are very easy to work with and are not aggressive. 

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  • Piglets can be weaned at 6 weeks old, at which point they are eating feed.

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  • Large Black Hogs are CRITICALLY endangered. At the last census there were only 330 registered large black breeding stock in the USA. To us, it is a moral issue. This is a beautiful docile breed of hog that should not go extinct. Join us in our mission to save this breed!

 

 

Are We Organic?

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  • We are not organic, but we were trained by the man who wrote the standards for OEFFA, one of the first organic certifiers in the nation.

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  • We are aware of organic standards and follow them voluntarily.​​

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  • We use only certified organic feed and raw milk from our local organic dairy for the hogs.

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  • We like to graze our hogs and they do great on grass. Large Black hogs are known to be great grazers.​

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What are the Negatives?

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  • It takes 8 months to get a piglet to butcher weight, which is a little longer than a commercial hog. 

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  • They can put up to 4 inches of back fat on, which produces a lot of lard. 

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  • The hams and pork chops will be smaller than what a commercial hog produces, but you will end up with a lot of bacon.​​​

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How Do Large Black Hogs Compare to Other Breeds?

Where Can I Learn More About Large Black Hogs?​

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  • We are members of The Livestock Conservancy, which is the leading organization working to stop the extinction of rare breeds in the United States.  They are dedicated to educating farmers on the need for preserving rare breeds, especially critically endangered animals like Large Black hogs.  

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Still Not Sure if Large Blacks are Right for You?

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  • Want to know what it tastes like? EAT Food for Life Farm sells individually packaged cuts of Large Black pork.

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