"But Did You Know You Can Get Pigs For $100 Right Now?"

If I had $1.00 for every time I've heard "$700 for a pig? I can get seven for that price in Southern, MN!" Go for it! If a $100 pig is what you're looking for, that's a fantastic deal, so I say jump on it. However, that changes nothing about what we are doing here at OFD Farm. I try super hard not to get defensive, but sometimes it's hard. We are proud of what we do here and cheap pork was never the goal of our business model. Our goals? Quality food, fun for our family, safe for our kids, a good life for the pigs, decadent meat... those were our goals, and still are. I realize that a lot of those comments come from a place of not knowing what's all behind what's going on in the pork industry right now, so let me try to shed some light. So, what makes a pig a $100 pig vs a $700+ pig? Wait, one last thing, do you know that $700 is astronomically cheap when it comes to heritage breed pork? Do a quick Google search of prices of heritage breed pork in WI/MN. You'll find a half hog for as much as $680 in MN. I'd say $700 is a damn good deal (one that you'll only get from us through 2020 as 2021 will definitely see a price increase).

Back to the main point, what's the difference? First, what's the name? Heritage and commercial is what I am going to go with. Is there another name for the opposite of heritage? Probably, but I don't know what it is (I've only been a pig farmer for three years, cut me some slack). Then if we want to break it down further there are many different kinds of heritage breed piggos. Red Waddle, Tamworth, Large Black, Hereford, Duroc, and our personal favorite, Berkshire, or "Kurobuta" as it's called in high end Japanese restaurants.

The name isn't the only difference however. The biggest difference to us is the taste and look of the meat. You see many years ago, chicken became the "healthy" meat to eat, and the pork market took a hit. In order to compete, they came up with "The Other White Meat" campaign, and in order to try to be more like chicken, they intentionally bred out the marbling, fat, etc., so that a pork chop would look more like chicken. Which, in our humble opinion was awful. It has lead to a lot of pork being pale, dry and bland. Pork was never supposed to look (or taste) like that! Our Berkshire meat looks more like beef than anything else. The sausage is red, and we use it 100% in replace of ground beef now and no one knows the difference. Our chops are juicy and marbled, not like any other pork you have ever had before.

Beyond the look and taste of our pork, is the fact that our piggos are humanely raised. Not that all commercial pig productions are inhumane concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO's), but some are. Our piggies have tons of room to run around, have access to grass (when they don't tear it up), and moved around in the pasture year after year for access to new ground, and have indoor and outdoor shelter. They have access to fresh water directly from our well, into clean hog nipples they drink directly from and are given fresh water every day to make wallows (the mud water holes they love to splash around in). Did you know that them making the wallow isn't just for fun, but also how they get a lot of the minerals they need from the ground? No need to supplement your animals when they're getting it from the source, the Earth.

Speaking of supplementing, we use very few to no antibiotics. Hogs on CAFO's are routinely injected with antibiotics, even when they aren't sick. Did you know that 70% of the antibiotics sold in the US are used in the agricultural setting? They are used to keep animals healthy in stressful, overcrowded conditions, or used to boost feed efficiency. At OFD Farm we only use antibiotics when necessary (no need to as they're no stressed). We've actually, knock on wood, never needed to give pigs antibiotics yet. We're not against it when they are sick, but try really hard to prevent disease, rather than treat it.

In general, pasture raised pork is more nutritious than supermarket pork, and we'd argue is just as healthy as chicken! According to a study published in 2011 in the British Journal of Nutrition, people who ate moderate amounts of grass fed meat for as little as four weeks had healthier levels of essential fatty acids. When participants of the study who were in good health ate grass fed meat, their blood levels of “good” omega-3 fatty acids increased and their levels of “bad” omega-6 fatty acids decreased. Pork from pastured hogs is also higher in conjugated linoleic acid (a “good” fatty acid that helps lower cholesterol and triglycerides), beta carotene and vitamin E, according to a 2009 study at Clemson University. When compared with beef, pork is actually a better source of protein. Protein content of pork can sometimes be as high as 89%. It also contains all nine essential amino acids necessary for your body's growth and maintenance. Commercially raised hogs are bred for lean carcasses, but fat is what makes us sing heritage pork's praises. Heritage pork is marbled with fats that help a human body stay healthy and strong, thanks to beneficial fatty acids (mentioned above) that lower cholesterol. It is also high in vitamin D and void of harmful trans-fats.

So, sure, you can probably get a $100 pig, and if it's a $100 pig you're looking for, by all means, that's fantastic deal, like we said, hop on it! However, comparing our pork to commercial pork is like telling the server at Ruth's Chris that you can get a cheaper steak at Apple-bee's. We encourage you to come over for dinner one night and taste the difference! No really, come on over!! Our home is always open.