Woodland Raised Pork
Pig Management
A pig’s natural tendency to root and till land is an invaluable trait when it comes to regenerating woodlands and pastures. These animals spend time in the forest and fields where they root and forage for acorns and other nuts. They till land in the forests and pastures to rejuvenate areas that have been overgrown by unfavorable plants. Food scraps are used supplementally to reduce the amount of purchased grain needed. These animals are quite the recyclers whose varied diets result in flavorful and nutritious meats that are quite a contrast to an exclusively grain fed pig!
Buying Bulk Meat
Buying meat in bulk gives you the advantage of purchasing top quality meat at a steep discount compared to buying similarly raised products by the cut (see cost breakdown below). You are able to bring home a selection of all of the prime steak cuts in addition to the versatile and nutritious roasts, stew meat and ground meat. You also have the option to take home any of the organ meat that your family might enjoy as well as bones for making bone broths or for a tasty treat for your dog!
How does it work? In Vermont, we have state regulations that allow us to sell you animals that are raised and slaughtered right here on our farm. This ensures that these animals have the best life possible, right through to the end. To begin, you will make a deposit for your purchase through our online store. This commitment helps you by spreading out your investment and it helps us by ensuring we have the customer’s full commitment before we go through with organizing the processing of the animal. After you have made your deposit, we will send you a form called a “Certificate of Ownership”. This form is then provided to the butcher to signify that you are the owner of this animal (or part of the animal) and that you hire the butcher to conduct the slaughtering and processing.
From here, we facilitate your communication with the butcher to coordinate the slaughter and processing of the animal. This includes giving you guidance on filling out your custom cut sheet. Once your meat is ready, the butcher will be in touch to coordinate pickup.
What cuts will I take home?
When you purchase a pig from us, you will be able to fill out your own custom cut sheet to determine how the meat will be broken down. We can help you work through the cut sheet as you determine what you would like.
The following list shows the different primal cuts of pork, the proportion of the animal that this cut makes up, and final cuts of meat that could result from the primal cut section depending on what you select (adapted from https://livestock.extension.wisc.edu/files/2020/10/how-much-meat-should-a-hog-yield.pdf). In general, primal cuts that are farther from the hoof and head are going to be the most tender, while those closer to the hoof and head are going to be more flavorful and ideal for slow cooked roasts or ground meat.
Boston Butt/Shoulder Picnic (21%): Shoulder blake steaks, boston butt roast, cottage roll, shoulder picnic roast, riblets, jowl
Loin (25%): Center chop, center back bacon, sirloin chop (baby back ribs), rib chop
Side/Belly (21%): Pork belly (can be smoked into bacon), spareribs, center-cut side ribs
Ham (25%): Ham, ham steak, cutlets, pork hock, shank ham, rump ham
Image source: https://colemannatural.com/blog/pork-cuts-101-essential-guide-to-different-cuts-of-pork/
Below is an example of the cost breakdown for buying a half of a woodland and pasture raised hog:
Hanging weight (Whole) = 200 lb
Hanging weight (Half) = 100 lb
Purchase price of half hog= 100 lb x $4.00/hanging lb = $400.00
Slaughtering, Butchering and Processing Costs = $22.50 slaughter fee + $0.95/hanging lb * 100 lb = $117.50
Approximate packaged meat = 100 * 0.70 = 70 lb
Cost per packaged lb of meat = ($400 meat purchase + $117.50 slaughter and process fee)/70 lb = $7.39/lb
***Please note that these are approximate numbers. The following factors will affect the final price:
Slaughter fee is $45 for a whole
Actual hanging weight can be more or less than example above
The cuts you select will influence the final weight of the packaged meat that you take home (ie. choosing more bone-in steaks and roasts vs. boneless). We used a 70% yield of meat in this example, but yield can be as high as 75%
Organ meat is optional and is not included in the above figures
If you choose to have meat smoked such as the ham and belly (bacon), you will be charged an additional fee for this service ($1.25/lb). Meat that is smoked is also reduced in weight by approximately 15%.
