
|
Happy Tamworth Pigs at Grace Note Farm |
Here at Grace Note Farm, we believe that animals deserve to have a happy life, even if they are destined for your freezer at the end of that happy life. Unlike commercially raised pigs that are raised indoors in tight confinement, the pigs we raise at Grace Note Farm roam in large fenced pastures and get rotated onto fresh ground every few weeks. They eat, nap, romp, play together, and socialize as their natures direct them, outdoors in the fresh air when they want, or lying about indoors on a pile of hay if they prefer that. They also eat a varied diet of plants and animals as they forage on the land (pigs are omnivores), supplemented with free-choice certified organic grain. This is good for the animals and good for our land as well.
We raise Tamworth pigs, a heritage breed that is prized for its tasty meat and good lean-to-fat ratio. Tamworths do well on pasture and are listed as a ‘threatened’ food animal. They are social and smart and we enjoy having them on our farm. We use them as ‘brush hogs’ to clear and prepare areas for future plantings. We buy piglets from breeders who feed only certified organic grain to their breeding stock and to the piglets once weaned.
Tamworths have a reputation as the tastiest breed of hog. See this testimonial to the Tamworth on Chow Hound. It is reported on the web that Bristol University carried out taste tests using both commercial and rare breed pigs in a scientifically controlled experiment, and the Tamworth was judged as having the best tasting meat.