Pastured Pork
Our pigs will be raised in rotating pastures that we manage throughout the year, and fed non-gmo, corn* and soy free feed.
*We may feed them some home-grown corn cob scraps from our garden.
Why Pastured?
Pasturing pigs has several benefits that we value.
1. Sanitation: Pasturing pigs gives them fresh air and sunlight (a natural disinfectant), and it spreads out manure evenly. When we move the pigs to a fresh pasture periodically it keeps them healthy, and they have less need for antibiotics.
2. Taste: Pasturing pigs makes our pork taste much better than store-bought conventionally raised pork. a healthy balance between exercised muscle and fat is what makes a really succulent meat. Pasturing pork naturally helps achieve that balance.
3. Balanced diet: Pigs are Omnivores. While it is not natural for pigs to eat exclusively grass (like cows), they should eat some grass as a part of a healthy diet.
4. Stress-free: They are happy and stress-free out in the pasture. When pigs are not constantly stressed (like they are in confinement feed lots) they are happy and end up tasting better. We are glad to respect the pigs and give them happy lives.
5. Soil Impact: Having a healthy amount of disturbance on the soil is good for the environment, and good for the soil. One of our goals as a farm is to heal the soil from conventional farming, and the pigs will help us with this goal.
For more background for this method of raising pigs, we recommend searching “Joel Salatin pastured pigs” on Youtube. He is one of our main sources for inspiration.
How do I buy your pork?
Similar to how farmers sell their beef cows we sell our pigs to our customers in wholes and halves. We have a good butcher lined up for you and you can make specific requests on what kinds of cuts you would like.
We are charging $4.50 per lb for our pork (excluding the butcher fee). The average weight for the breed we have (Landrace/Duroc) is around 200 lbs.
The butcher we have lined up is H & K Meats run by Brian and Tanya Dolby. We know them as they are also Catholic. We think they will do a great job! They charge $155 for the slaughter and $1.20 per lb for cutting and wrapping the meat. Their shop is in Jefferson, OR which is just off of I-5, south of Salem. You can select your preferred date to pick up your pork in the sign up sheet below.
Here is the sign-up form! Please fill this out and we will keep in contact with you as we get closer to butcher date. We require a down payment in order to reserve your pig: $100 for a half, $200 for a whole (this is not an additional cost, it will come out of the total cost of the pig).
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfx_-24TTwDXPRAMvYUY8QwzaJciYMAXa0FvT3ZSOOqTlx8vA/viewform?usp=publish-editor
FAQ
Can I order a 1/4 of a pig?
The butcher we use does not do quarters because they do not come out evenly. One person gets more bacon, the other more pork chops. If you would like a quarter of a pig, you must arrange it with someone else who wants a quarter and split it privately, with one person’s name on the order, and one person paying.
Can I get bacon and ham?
Yes, the butcher makes bacon and hams! Just put that in your cutting instruction and they will make it happen. Curing bacon has an extra cost, they charge $3 per lb of bacon you get.
Is the pork gluten free?
Yes, the pork is gluten free, just do not get sausage in your cutting instructions, as all of the sausage the butcher makes has gluten. Instead, ask for ground pork. This will give you just the pork, and you can season it as you would like.
How do I decide which cuts of meat to get?
Here is a good quick resource to help you get an idea of the different cuts of meat: https://www.anchorranchfarm.com/blog/2021/2/8/simple-pork-cuts-checklistwalkthrough
Here is a part of the butcher’s website that may be helpful: https://handkmeats.com/customer-order-request/2