Our first Large Black hog goes to the processor

Excitingly for us, the first of our Large Black pigs is at the processor. This is our new breeding stock and hopefully the basis of our main herd going forward. We are getting the meat back separately so we can sample just the Large Black and make sure that everything is the way we want it. So far I like pretty much everything about them so taste is the final determination. But first we had to get them there.

We only took two hogs this trip (October 1st) as we still have plenty of pork in the freezer but we were running low on a couple of things. It’s good to have some pork already being prepared so as we get low we already have restock on the way.

Both of these hogs arrived on our farm together (hence the tags being so close to one another) The metal tag is the NC required farm ID tag. More on that in a minute.

When I got to the processor I checked in like normal, but when I went to unload there was nobody there to help me. There was an open area for my hogs to walk into, and when I checked my guys, they were standing there waiting on me to open the cut gate and let them off the trailer. I waited another few minutes and saw they were still waiting on me to get off so I opened the paddock gate, the cut gate, and the trailer gate and walked in and behind the pigs. The paid little attention to me and gently walked off the trailer and into the little paddock waiting for them. As I was closing the paddock gate, I looked up and saw the USDA inspector was standing there. The MAN was watching me. Uh oh. He said, “You’ve been working with those hogs to teach them that?”

“Nope, they are just really laid back and I don’t push them.” He seemed quite pleased with how they looked, and how they acted so we chatted a minute and I left. Thank goodness I’d put my ear tags in (as required by law and as I forget sometimes) and that these hogs behaved so well. If you are going to show off, may as well do it with an audience.