Hereford Hogs Bring Color To "Other White Meat"

Hereford Hogs Bring Color To Other White Meat HOG EQUIPMENT & IDEAS The “other white meat” isn’t always white according to Hereford hog breeders The reddish hogs produce meat that is darker red than most pork and well marbled “like pork used to be” “Meat quality is one of the breed’s biggest advantages ” says Philip Kramer president of the National Hereford Hog Association NHHA Kramer appreciates the qualities of the typical commercial breeds but when he started his own small herd he remembered the Hereford hogs that his neighbor owned when he was a boy He tracked down breeders of the rare breed and purchased four gilts and a boar and began attending NHHA events Iowan John C Schulte developed the breed He wanted hogs to match his Hereford cattle and started crossing Durocs and black Poland China hogs in the 1920’s Eventually he got what he wanted — a 2/3 red body with white feet and ears at least 2/3 white face and a white tail or tail tip that’s white The breed has gone through ups and downs with numbers but is currently on an upswing Kramer says Hereford hogs are beginning to compete with other breeds at events and are becoming more common as 4-H animals “They’re easy to work with ” says Kramer On the farm their gentle nature makes them easy to care for Kramer has 10 sows and 7 gilts Gestating sows live in a brick shed with bedding and outdoors access and pigs are farrowed in pens where the sows can come and go Though they gain slower than hybrid breeds the Hereford breed grades well Sows average 10 to 12 pigs a litter with an 8 to 9 weaning rate Typically one pig per litter doesn’t meet the breed’s standard so Kramer sells them or butchers them for his family He notes that when his father tasted the meat he said it was the best pork he had ever eaten Repeat customers who have purchased his pigs say the same thing The uniqueness of the breed and the meat quality make it ideal for people who direct market to customers But the breed is also appropriate for someone who wants to raise a couple of hogs for personal use — and perhaps to match the Hereford cattle in the pasture Hereford hogs have a thick hide and do well in the Midwest and colder climates The NHHA has members as far north as Minnesota South Dakota and New York The price of breeding stock is competitive with other purebred stock Gilts average $300 to $400 To learn more and to connect with breeders Kramer suggests attending the 2013 NHHA National Show and Sale Aug 23-24 in Wilmington Ohio Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Philip Kramer 1808 100th Ave Algona Iowa 50511 ph 515 290-8636; pdkgenetics@yahoo com

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