Pigs
Sales paused for the 2024 season.
Farmstead Pigs
Whether it's bacon or sausage with your eggs for breakfast, a quick ham sandwich for lunch, or a crockpot of shredded pork waiting for you to turn it into a taco - if you have a freezer full of pork, ensuring you are eating delicious, humanely raised meat is one less thing you have to think about at the end of a busy day.
When you purchase a whole or half hog directly from us, you can be sure that you and your family are eating the same quality meat that we feed our own family. Since you work with the butcher directly to choose your custom cuts and packaging, you can be sure you are stocking your freezer with what makes sense for YOU.
How we care for our Pigs
We raise a limited number of pigs each year. We purchase our piglets from a local breeder, and they come to the farmstead when they are old enough to live on their own - not a moment before. We choose to raise our pigs in the woods, and we rotate them to fresh areas on a regular basis, so they have access to new forage and clean spaces. Our pigs get to act like real pigs - they run around, root in the dirt, and lounge in the shade. They munch on whatever is growing within the woods, and we supplement them with a non-GMO grain feed, some extra vegetables from the garden, and veggie and fruit scraps from the kitchen. We always treat them humanely. We grow them from "weaner piglets" to "market hogs" through the warmer months, and we typically harvest them in late summer or early fall, just in time to stock your freezer before the chill of winter sets in.
How This All Works (hint: it’s super easy!)
Decide if you'd like a whole or half a hog (detailed info below).
Once we receive your deposit, you will receive an email confirmation for your records. This secures your purchase of your pig. We will notify you of the processing date once it is finalized, so you can mark it on your calendar. You will need to be in town (or make arrangements for pickup) when it's time to pick up your meat from the butcher.
Sit back and enjoy your summer. Watch for email updates from us throughout the season!
At processing time, we will contact you with the final hanging weight of your pig. This is what our pricing is based on, and this is when you will pay us the remaining balance for raising your pig. Once we have received your payment, the butcher will call you to take your customized cut order - then they will get to work preparing your pork, just the way you want it! We will gladly help walk you through this process.
Once processing is complete (this can take up to a week depending on what you’ve ordered), the butcher will contact you and give you the exact total you will owe them for their services. This is when your payment to them is due.
You pay the butcher, pick up your pork, put it in your freezer, and you're set!
See? Easy peasy.
General details
Half Hog
- A non-refundable deposit required to secure purchase of your half. This will be applied to your total amount due to us at processing time.
- Hogs sold by the half are charged per pound based on hanging weight of the animal. This is the portion you pay to our farm.
- Estimated basic butchering costs will be approximately $100-$200. This is an estimate ONLY and does not include smoking, curing, linking, etc. which will affect your final price
*Estimates are based on our target average hanging weight of 180 lbs. per hog (90 lbs per half). Each animal is unique, and hanging weights can vary, which will alter the final price.
Whole Hog
- A non-refundable deposit required to secure the purchase of your hog. This will be applied to your final total amount due to us at processing time.
- Hogs sold by the whole are charged per pound based on hanging weight of the animal. This is the portion you pay to our farm.
- Estimated basic butchering costs will be approximately $200-$250. This is an estimate ONLY and does not include smoking, curing, linking, etc. which will affect your final price
*Estimates are based on our target average hanging weight of 180 lbs. per hog. Each animal is unique, and hanging weights can vary, which will alter the final price.
Have more questions? Email us at gratefulplatefarmstead@gmail.com . We are happy to help!