You might remember a story we shared last winter about buying piglets from an organic farm down near Ithaca and how one of them managed to jump out of our Prius while unloading them (yes, Greg transported 10 week old piglets to our farm in our Prius) and how one of these little explorers ventured into our neighbors’ yards before we eventually got her settled into her own paddock.
We were still working on building up our breeding program. With only 2 sows on the farm at the time, we were hoping that at least one of new piglets would become part of our breeding program and help us expand our pork operation. You won’t believe how far we’ve come in just a year… But first, I want to share why our breeding program is so important to us and why it should be important to you too.
We’ve chosen our breeds carefully. We’ve selected for pigs that make superb pork that is rich in flavor and texture, and also that thrive on pasture in our variable climate. We’ve opted to breed our own pigs, instead of routinely buying piglets in from other farms, because we want to provide our customers with the guarantee that the pork they’re purchasing from us was raised ethically and sustainably.
The best way to do this is to breed the pigs ourselves, which ensures that all of our pigs remain certified organic and that we never (EVER) inadvertently support a farm that abuses animals or utilizes inhumane farming techniques like farrowing crates.
A year ago we were just starting to work with only two new sows, and since then, we’ve developed a great system to help our pigs deliver on pasture without ANY closed confinement that works great year-round, even during the hot summer days and those cold snowy nights. We’ve increased our breeding herd from 2 to 5 which means that we now have new piglets born on the farm every 6 weeks.
All this is to say that we are now offering a consistent supply of premium pork cuts year-round that is home-grown and guaranteed to be raised humanely. This is the difference between our pork and the stuff you get from the grocery store and we’re proud of our customers for getting engaged and knowing the difference.
Come see us at the Brighton Farmers Market this week where we’ll have fresh, never frozen cuts of our pasture raised pork.
All the best,
Greg & Jenney
PS. Tomorrow we’ll be sending out some more info on our summer meat and egg CSA shares, so keep an eye out for our email if you want to know more.