American Guinea Hog
- Annaliese Danckers
- 7 days ago
- 2 min read
Bluebird Sky Farmstead in Longmont breeds Ark of Taste American Guinea Hogs
There are many reasons to love this breed! As the people raising them, we are looking at temperament, land impact, growth rates, and taste. Colorado’s brittle farming environment led us to American Guinea Hogs (AGHs). The way they interact with grass is closer to a sheep than other pigs in that they graze rather than root. We haven’t found another pastured breed that can do this. Don’t get me wrong, they’ll pick a dedicated wallow area if allowed and really dig it up, but as we move our pastured pigs weekly, they don’t establish “dead zones” where they dig too deeply and ruin the pasture.
The history of the AGH as a landrace breed fascinated us as well. I learned to farm in rural Alabama and Danny grew up in Florida, which is where the breed originated. There are not many pig breeds that originate west of the Atlantic. Furthermore, we love their smaller stature, sweet personalities, and long grow time. This last one is important as we find customers. AGHs have been raised as the “poor family’s pig” for centuries, thriving on forage, kitchen scraps, and minimal grain. Actually, if you feed them too much grain and sweet mix, they’ll quickly become obese. Even with a lower fat diet, these pigs are able to convert feed into fat at an astounding rate, making it an incredible lard pig. When we get a pig back from the processor, almost 1/3 of the returns are beautiful, white lard, which we use for cooking, soap making, candle making, and even weatherproofing our boots, just like AGH raisers have done since the early 1800s. But back to customers. Not only do we look for people who are searching for lard, perhaps for baking or charcuterie, but also for people looking for flavor. The long grow time of AGHs means their muscles build up nutrients, enriching the flavor and nutrient density of each cut. AGH meat is not for people who are avoiding fat. Sometimes we get pork chops back that are the size of your hand, half meat, half lard. And they are to die for delicious.
The more I write, the more it feels that raising AGHs really fits into the Slow Food movement. Instead of processing them at 8 months old, we do so at 18 months. The pigs work with us to build soil, not tear up grass. The flavors are wonderful. With the small sizes, cuts are limited and therefore more precious when you sit down to eat bacon or ham hock soup. And finally, it feels good to raise a pig that isn’t bred to be a specific showman, but more of a jack of all trades, is adaptable, and is always happy to see us (and some even roll over for belly rubs).