American Guinea Hog
The breed that started it all for us! We got a breeding pair of American Guinea Hogs in 2016. They are an easily managed, mild-mannered small pig with great temperament. They are about half the size of traditional standard breeds and grow a little slower but we think it makes all the difference in their flavor profile and the usage of the whole pig from snout to tail. This breed also has great rooting behavior that makes them natural rototillers, which comes in handy in our soil-keep approach of rotating crops and pigs. They are a heritage breed and were widely popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries—when most households where cooking with lard, which this breed produces abundantly. As the use of lard and homesteading declined, so did its popularity. By the 1990s, there were fewer than 100 Guinea hogs left in the United States and it is now considered one of the rarest heritage hog breeds, but they are recently making a comeback as small homesteads are growing in popularity, increase in demand for pastured pork, and their unique desirable flavor characteristics.
