Counter-intuitive plan to save rare pig: Get more people to eat it
Susan Frank, who owns Dogpatch Farm in rural Knox County town of Washington, is hoping to increase consumption of the rare American mulefoot hog that she raises in order to save the species.
Increased demand will lead to more breeding, she told the Associated Press, as reported in the Sun Journal.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is giving her $50,000 to help increase interest in products made with mulefoot meat, and Frank is talking up the product with chefs, restaurants and markets around New England and New York.
The mulefoot is named for its non-cloven hoof, and was the subject of a vibrant industry that included some 200 herds a century ago. But its tendency for slow growth and small litters reduced its appeal for industrial pig farming.
According to the Pittsboro, N.C.-based Livestock Conservancy, the mulefoot is an American hog breed named for its most distinctive feature, the solid, non-cloven hoof which looks like the hoof of a mule. The breed is likely to have descended from Spanish hogs brought to the Americas beginning in the 1500s. By 1900, the mulefoot had become a standardized breed. But today, it’s critically rare. As of 2006 there were fewer than 200 purebred hogs documented. Frank has a dozen, along with other types of pigs.
According to its website, Dogpatch Farm raises pigs in the woods and fields without growth hormones or routine antibiotics. They also raise other products. The farm touts the mulefoot as a rare heritage breed with freckled marbling, superb flavor and exceptional hams.
"I know it sounds weird, but you have to eat a rare breed to help it come back," Frank told the AP.
Most Recent
Most Recent
Comments