New Heritage Breeds

Large Black Pigs

When we decided to start raising pigs, we researched the different pig breeds to find a breed that would work well for our needs.  We recognized that we live in a climate that can be hard on animals.  (Hot sunny summers and cold, windy winters.)  From previous experience, we knew that light colored pigs had a tendancy to sunburn.  We also found that some pigs had little resilience to disease and that others had virtually no mothering ability.  That was when we stumbled across the Berkshire pig.  Being a black pig, it didn't sunburn, it thrived outdoors, and was very hearty.  Everything we read about them said that they had great mothering instincts.  We didn't find this to be entirely accurate but over time we were able to selectively bred mothering instincts back into our pigs.  Berkshire pork is well known for being superior to commercial breeds of pork partly because of its well marbled, red colored, deeper flavored meat. 

Over the last few decades as agriculture has progressed, farmers moved production indoors in order to be more efficient.  I am sure most know how the story goes.  Consumers wanted leaner pork and lower prices.  In the process, the Berkshire sort of got left behind as it has more fat (aka flavor and juiciness), doesn't produce as large of litters and is slower growing.  As commercial breeds were developed to be leaner and more efficient, the pork grew less flavorful and somewhat mushy (a result of only having an average living space of 6.8 ft2).  Another unintended consequence was the potential for mass breakouts of antibiotic resistant superbugs; a result of pigs having subtherapeutic antibiotics mixed into their daily feed and water.  This is the basic state of today's pork and for many the pendulum has swung too far opening up opportunities for our family farm and many others popping up all over the country.

Over the last few years, we have stayed busy raising purebred Berkshire pigs on pasture where pigs have an average living space of 2100 ft2.  (Commercially you could raise 300 pigs in the same space that one of our pigs enjoys.)  We have dedicated ourselves to raising our pigs humanely meaning gentle handling and herding of the pigs, no tail docking, teeth clipping, or nose rings, etc...  We also believe in raising our animals naturally meaning no antibiotics, growth promoters/hormones, and only feeding our pigs a 100% vegetarian diet of Utah grown grains in addition to the pastures they graze.  We believe that by adhering to these practices, we produce some of the best tasting and healthiest pork available.  That said, we are excited to announce that we will be taking it up another notch by introducing two additional heritage breeds to our farm.

The heritage breeds of pigs that are black in color all have similar meat quality.  The similarities are a deeper red colored pork that has more pronounced flavor as well as better marbling.  They also have a higher quality of fat for rendering lard.  The similarities are due to the fact that they share the same ancestry hundreds of years back.  These characteristics are the reason that pork from these black heritage breeds are considered gourmet quality.

We have recently acquired two Large Black sows and two Mulefoot sows.  The Large Black is known for having a shorter muscle fiber that makes the pork very tender.  The Large Black can nearly support itself on pasture alone.  The Mulefoot is perhaps the rarest breed in the country and was nearly extinct just a few years ago.  It is now making a rather strong comeback thanks to it being named the best tasting pork in a blind taste test of the heritage breed pork.  The Mulefoot pig is named for its unique hoof.  Unlike all other breeds of pigs that have a split hoof, the Mulefoot pig has a solid horseshoe like hoof.  We are excited to add the unique attributes of these pigs to the pork we are offering.

Here you can see the solid hoof of a Mulefoot

Like other heritage breeds there are some "inefficiencies" with the breeds.  Both breeds are relatively slow growing which also means that they consume more feed to reach a butcher weight than the commercial breeds.  The Mulefoot also has rather small litters averaging only 5-6 piglets per litter.  That said, we have witnessed firsthand their excellent mothering abilities, hardiness, and natural instinct to roam and graze on pasture.  Besides, we have never approached our farm with the attitude of being the most efficient.  Our goal has always been the to raise the finest quality, ethically and sustainably, and keep prices affordable for as many families as possible.  We hope that you will continue to enjoy our pork as we seek to take it up another notch by embracing these heritage breeds of pigs.

An Intoduction to Christiansen's Hog Heaven

Christiansen's Hog Heaven is a small family owned farm. We are nestled close to the Sheeprock Mountains in Vernon, Utah. Vernon is a quaint little town of 220 people. Most folks in Vernon raise cattle and alfalfa.

Our family consists of Christian and Hollie and our two (soon to be three) children; Hans (age 5) and Dane (age 3). Hollie is expecting a little girl in June 2009.
As a family we are trying to become more self sufficient and less dependent on others for food. At a minimum we try to purchase locally grown foods. In addition to gardening, we have raised our own chickens, pork, and beef. However, since we only have a small amount of land to work with, we have decided to focus on raising pork.

We have primarily focused on raising registered Berkshire pigs (aka Kurobuta pork) as they are known worldwide for producing the highest quality pork. They are also very hearty and can tolerate the extreme temperature fluctuations that high altitude living demands. We believe in treating our animals humanely and with respect. We believe that this is what our Creator expects of us as stewards of our animals. We pasture raise our pigs and custom mix our own combination of locally grown grains and legumes. Our pigs are free to roam in our pasture. From the day our pigs are born they are given the freedom and comfort that animals deserve. Our pigs farrow in deep straw beds not farrowing crates. They have access to shelter or the outdoors whenever they choose. We don't medicate our pigs, clip teeth, dock tails etc... and make every effort to pamper them. We feel that keeping our pigs clean and happy is our duty. In return our family and our customers enjoy the highest quality pork.

Our goal is to offer superior pork to our local customers. We take issue with the way 99% of our meat is raised in this country. We understand the economic reasoning behind the Midwest region raising all of our pork in large buildings and shipping it all over the country. Aside from the treatment of the animals, it troubles us that a product has to be shipped such long distances. It creates vulnerabilities when communities, states, and regions cannot produce their own food. Not to mention the unnecessary consumption of fuel. We hope that our customers not only appreciate the taste and quality of our pork but all the factors that go into it (natural, humane, local, pasture raised, heritage breed, etc…) This is not the cheapest or easiest way to raise meat, but we feel it is the most responsible and ethical approach.

Our farm is truly a family farm. As a family we genuinely enjoy raising pigs. Our boys love going out to feed the pigs as is evident in the lightning speed in which they can slip on their mud boots and Carhartt jackets. Hollie and I go on “little pig dates” where we hold hands and walk out to the pigs to check on them. It is very therapeutic to lean against a fence post and just watch the pigs. We thank you for your interest in Christiansen’s Hog Heaven and are pleased offer 100% pure Berkshire pork from our farm to your table.