The Price of Local Pork
May 29th, 2014 · 5 Comments · Posted in farming
Yesterday we collected half a pig we purchased from our friend Mike, who raises a mix of heritage breeds on his small farm outside Cambridge. This was a new experience for us. After the pig was killed and trucked off to the butcher, we wrote Mike a check for $276.50, representing 79 pounds of pork “hanging weight”–meaning without head or hooves–at $3.50 per pound.
At Gregg Stratton’s processing facility in Hoosick Falls, I was shown two cardboard boxes containing the finished meat: bacon, smoked ham roasts, chops, tenderloin, hocks, shoulder. We’d been given an order sheet to fill out, indicating how thick we wanted the chops, whether we wanted the hams smoked, instructions for making sausage. We declined the sausage and instead were given a bag of odd bits that we can grind at home and turn into our own Kielbasa or breakfast mix.
Stratton charged $30 for slaughtering the pig and another $55.30–or 70 cents per pound–to process. Smoking 24 pounds worth of bacon and ham cost another $44.40.
The pork looks delicious, and if the cheeks and tongue Mike gave us earlier as a sample are any indication, we are going to enjoy this pig. I braised those parts in the usual aromatics, some chicken stock and a splash of vermouth and my wife practically levitated out of her chair at the dinner table. It was that good. Still, writing big checks, traveling to a butcher 18 miles away and finding a place in the freezer for so much meat would be daunting for the average Joe.
In total, we paid $416 for our pork, and that doesn’t include the cost of our basement chest freezer, without which we could only dream about Mike’s pigs. Compare than to the $2.99 industrial pork butt is selling for at the local grocery. But even at the prices we were charged, Greg Stratton says there’s not a lot of money in it for the local pig farmer. “It’s really hard to make any money raising pigs,” says Stratton. That’s after you calculate the cost of all the feed they eat, bedding and infrastructure.
We had planned to raise pigs this year but spring was so busy, we never quite got ready and finding piglets turned out to be a bit more challenging than we had anticipated. Next year we hope to be better prepared. But pigs aren’t ruminants like sheep or cows. You can’t just turn them loose in a pasture and expect them to fatten up. They eat a lot, and all that feed has to be trucked in.
Meanwhile, we’re grateful to Mike for raising pigs and making us a part owner of one. We’ll be eating his pork for a long time.
Interesting! I never knew you could own the animal that you would eventually get meat from. Hopefully, the pigs are raised humanely and none of the parts go to waste. While it is more expensive than industrial meat purveyors, it sounds like the quality makes up for it. Apparently, the industrial meat complex is falling apart at the seams these days. Over-use of antibiotics and hormones lead to justification of inhumane and unsanitary living conditions for the animals and a host of health-related issues for consumers. I would rather pay more for the meat for the peace of mind, but not every family can afford that luxury. We bought a beef tenderloin to smoke over the holiday weekend…top grade, grass-fed, antibiotic- and hormone-free…$30/lb! But we ate every single ounce of it…there was no waste at all…sliced like a knife through butter. So worth it!
Also, where can I send you my daughter’s recipe? I wasn’t sure if I should post it or email it to you.
Tammy, the reason there is a market for buying whole or parts of animals prior to slaughter is because the federal government otherwise requires that meat for resale be processed in a USDA-inspected facility, which is much more expensive. If processed in a USDA shop, the meat can then be sold by the piece. (Poultry is an exception: it can be sold directly off the farm.)
Email address: eddotspydogfarmatyahoo.com
Past couple of years we’ve bought a whole pig from a local processor after the county fair — about $325 cut, smoked, wrapped. But, these are 4-H pigs, the ones that don’t win the big prizes. Money goes into kids college funds, and while the pigs might not be organic or heirloom, they were raised individually and not in CAFOs. In Montana we also still have small processors, largely thanks to big game hunting. My biggest challenge is that my sweetie doesn’t love braised meats, which if you’re buying by the animal, you’re going to eat a lot of. I’m working on him … but I think we might get more ground pork next time …
We have small processors here, too, Charlotte. Lots of venison. Braised is the best.
We feel very lucky to live in an area where we have ready access to farmers who raise animals for us to eat. We shared a lamb and a pig this year with another family, and have found both to be among the most delicious and best-textured we’ve ever eaten. It’s worth the luxury of having to get a second chest freezer, specifically for the meat. Now, if we just had easy access to chickens….