Benefits of Pastured Pork

Animal Health 

Pigs are smart. They are much smarter than a dog or a cat and are, in fact, the smartest domestic animal, fourth in the animal kingdom only behind humans, dolphins, and elephants. Most people couldn’t imagine confining a dolphin to a small swimming pool or an elephant to a tiny cage, but this is exactly what the pork industry has done to pigs: extreme confinement with concrete floors, no sunlight, and nothing to keep them mentally stimulated. The factory farmers will tell you the pigs are comfortable in the temperature controlled barns (it’s true, pink pigs can develop sunburn) but that rationale makes no sense as given the choice, a pig will choose to behave and live like a pig.

Soil Health

The Great Plains were not sprayed into fertility, we can thank the natural grazing patterns of herbivores for that. Bison used to graze the plains, continuously moving towards the next green grass, depositing valuable manure as they went. This natural eating, trampling, and manure spreading fed the microorganisms in the soil, allowing more nutritious grass to grow the next season, and the cycle continued.  We are mimicking this behavior with pigs.  They put pressure on a designated area by eating, rooting, and trampling the grasses. Before damage from over grazing occurs, we move the pigs into their next paddock. 

Your Health 

Pastured pork is much higher in vitamins and minerals than conventional pork. Studies have shown that pigs living outdoors have significantly higher levels of vitamin D due to increased sun exposure.  Because pastured pigs are much more active than confinement pigs, their meat takes on a deep pink color and a rich flavor and is higher in iron. In addition, because we use transitional organic feed and we do not use any chemical fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides, you will not find traces of these in your pork. You can feel confident what you are serving your family is safe, delicious, and nutritious.