Demand Booming For "Wooly Pigs"

Demand Booming For Wooly Pigs HOG EQUIPMENT & IDEAS Demand for Mangalitsas the wooly pigs from Eastern Europe is exploding Initially the only Mangalitsas in the U S were part of a monopoly see Vol 33 No 4 Heath Putnam the importer sold no breeding stock and tightly controlled animals going to market That changed in 2010 when Wilhelm Kohl and Marc Santucci of the company Pure Mangalitsa imported their own breeding stock two boars and four gilts Breeding stock from their company and others now is available though limited and expensive One reason is the red tape “Originally we had to get our animals from Austria but since last year animals from Hungary are also available ” says Kohl “We are now in the process of introducing the fresh breeding lines However it is a long process A first generation is sent to Holland where the second generation is produced Those are the pigs that are then allowed into the U S ” After 4 months in quarantine Pure Mangalitsa will then breed the boars to their existing herd Kohl expects to have offspring available to sell in about a year and a half “Initially there will be quite a waiting list ” he says “A few existing breeders are waiting to get new bloodlines ” Pure Mangalitsa will have breeding stock available from their existing bloodlines this summer Boars and an initial gilt are each priced at $1 500 Additional gilts are priced at $1 000 Kohl says the price can vary around the country based on local supply and demand “Prices on the West Coast are more like $1 700 ” says Kohl “Our new boars will be $2 000 to $2 500 because they represent new bloodlines and are registered in the Hungarian breed book ” Robert Laitsch says the high-priced pigs are worth it He bought two bred Mangalitsa sows that produced 18 purebred piglets between them He then bred them to a Duroc/Hampshire cross boar “I’ll soon be butchering my first purebred ” he says “I’m confident of what the meat will be like I’ve cured conventional hogs and you can drive a fencepost with a ham These pigs produce a ham that just melts in your mouth ” Laitsch also likes the way the Mangalitsa pastures He turns his 20 head out on 5 acres of irrigated alfalfa/grass pasture to graze and turn over the sod lightly as they graze He supplements with wheat and protein concentrate and by-products from a local flourmill “They revitalize the pasture with their rooting and working in the manure from the feed I put through them ” he says “I calculated the cost of fertilizer and I got the same nutrients from the manure and at a lower cost ” When he pulled the hogs off at the end of the summer he ran 20 head of sheep on the acre for another month to clean up remaining grass Laitsch says the reason the Mangalitsas can utilize pasture is they have a higher percentage of large intestine - where the forage can ferment to be digested - than conventional confinement hogs He cites research that shows it is the large intestine that produces the high-quality fat Mangalitsas are known for “Conventional hogs have been selected for a corn and soybean diet and produce a harder fat easier to process but that goes rancid faster ” says Laitsch “Pigs like the Mangalitsa actually need roughage They produce a fat that is better for you than wild caught salmon ” Latisch says the Mangalitsas are good mothers He notes that the crossbred litters have a much higher growth rate than straight Duroc/Hamp Though farrowed in 5°F weather the baby pigs did well with a simple heat lamp and were outside daily at 3 weeks Kohl endorses the hardiness of the breed Pure Mangalitsas raised in Michigan are kept outside year round He says they are natural foragers and prefer pasture If you put a Mangalitsa and a Berkshire in a pen with the gate open the Mangalitsa will be the first outside he says Some breeders in California graze them in oak forests In the fall ours eat hickory nuts acorns and even black walnuts They crunch them up Laitsch sold some of the purebred litter with gilts bringing $1 100 with boars priced higher He expects to see a lot of hybrids like his second set of litters in the market and notes that some pigs now being sold as Mangalitsas are 3/4 or 7/8 pure He is concerned that genetics will be lost if records are not well kept He is encouraging people interested in the breed to get a few gilts and share a boar with friends The biggest problem we have is there isn t enough supply he says Restaurants need a regular supply Kohl agrees He notes that demand for Mangalitsas is growing in Europe as well as in the U S His company has also sold breeding stock to Canada which has its own quarantine restrictions Charcuterie or cured meats Vol 38 No 1 are rapidly growing items in the U S says Kohl As even more people become familiar with it demand will be stupendous Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Robert Laitsch 10906 Road 26 Cortez Colo 81321 ph 970 529-0403; robertlaitsch@gmail com ; or Pure Mangalitsa 
 4360 Hagadorn Rd Okemos Mich 48864 ph 517 712-9589; contact@puremangalitsa com; www puremangalitsa com

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