Strong litters again this year. Our Chester White boar is not a rare breed. He has historical ties to Indiana and represents a breed that does well within the mechanized market. He is a handsome boar, and his stamp is effective in producing white piglets. We came across this Chester White when we were looking for a Gloucestershire Old Spot boar to replace our old Old Spot boar. There was no Gloucestershire Old Spot piglet available, but this Chester White was for sale as a piglet down the road.

Chester White boar

Ironically, that’s how several of the old, rare breeds developed years ago,  by way of neighbors within a community trading stock. Livestock in the past was an intricate part of community. The contemporary Navajo community is a fine example of a people with close ties to their livestock, which includes the Navajo-Churro sheep. This rare breed provides food, shelter, and textiles for its people, but it provides even more. The Churro helps keep Navajo traditions and culture alive. Navajo sheep farmers define what can be considered the “historical ideal” of this breed of livestock.

The analogy of  architectural building styles can help us understand the importance of rare livestock breeds. Certain building styles originated in villages as a result of the resources available in that locale, as well as the weather conditions that the people living there had to endure. Some climates were cold, so shelters had to contain warmth. Some climates were hot, so shelters needed to be cool. The materials used to build the shelter depended on resources available to the builders. Home buyers today, purchasing an older home, may research the history of the structure and attempt to keep their “new” home in period condition. Sometimes, the new owners may sense the “ghosts” of the people who lived in the house before them. The people of the past who built and cared for the now antique structure survive because their home stands long after they are gone. Certain architectural styles are of value because they remind us of the past. Heritage breeds of livestock, like heritage plant seeds, can be seen in this way. They look a certain way, make use of certain elements, and have a certain unique set of genetics that reflect the people who developed them and the place where they arose.

We know little of the Chester White’s historical ties to its people. The Gloucestershire Old Spot was once common in England, and its historical ideal is tied to the management system of the English pig keepers who used the Old Spot to dispose of fallen fruit in the orchards. The Old Spot also turned the by-products of the English dairy into meat, as the English dairyman would feed leftover whey to his swine herd.

The Gloucestershire Old Spot pig is a beautiful creature.

Gloucestershire Old Spot boar

Its ears hang low, covering most of its eyes, and it will lift its head high to look you in the eye, with those floppy ears folding to the side of its face. Few pigs are more docile. Gloucestershire Old Spot boars and sows are calm, easy keepers. They do well on a variety of food stock, and have excellent maternal instincts. We find they do best if offered a bit of space to roam, keeping them in line with the breed’s historical task of cleaning out orchards. They don’t take well to confinement. We like to feed our pigs apples and milk, because their taste for apples and milk has been preserved in the breed. All rare breeds have a creation story, a place of origin, and a history. It’s important for breeders of rare livestock to understand this, and, if possible, make connections to that history.

Blackberry, our Tamworth crossbred sow with ten healthy little ones nursing this morning.

Blueberry, our Gloucestershire Old Spot crossbred sow with eleven strong.

Raspberry, Blueberry’s sister, settling thirteen.

Pictures coming soon!

The Navajo-Churro sheep, Spanish mustang, and Highlander cow are rare breeds that exhibit a remarkable trait: adaptability. Not one of these breeds was historically settled, with their people, in this neck of the woods. Yet each has settled into this New England farm like it was built for the place.  What to make of it?  The steward of a rare breed is presented with a question that requires consideration:  Can a distinctive breed be maintained outside its original environment?

When raised in the context of a working farm, rather than in a protected breeding program, adaptation and survival traits are more clearly expressed. Working farms explore parasitic resistance, temperament, susceptibility to weather patterns, and conformational strengths and weaknesses that might not be noticed in isolated breeding programs. Each farm presents a differing path to adaptation. What effect will these strategies have on the conservation of a historic breed?

The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) is raising awareness and offering marketing exposure for rare livestock breeds. The ALBC also connects one generation of stewards to the next. Their efforts help ensure that these heritage breeds will continue to be bred, with emphasis remaining close to their historical ideal. For what would we make of a line of Navajo-Churros with fine, crimpy locks?  Or Spanish mustangs with weak hooves, standing 16 hands? Or Highlanders that need assistance when giving birth? Or Javas that don’t know how to set their eggs?

Grandma Marjie always says, “Humans make children.  Goats make kids.”

Marjie and Virginia, Dairy Dames

Bunny was once a kid, and children loved playing with her.  She is now a full grown Oberhasli, supplying the dairy needs of our farm. (Pigs LOVE milk.)  Bunny was given her name, because, when she was a kid,  she’d hop across the yard, looking every bit like a rabbit.  Goats are great fun on the farm, and we highly recommend Oberhaslis.  Black and tan beauties, they love eating weeds, making them a great aid in the quest to keep pastures in grass.  They are inexpensive to keep, and take up little space. Despite the rumors, they cause little trouble.

Being bloodstock of dairy producing immigrants can make one particular about the quality of their family’s milk.  If you are a small farm, put a heritage dairy cow, or rare breed of dairy goat, into your diversified rotation. For those working off the farm, we recommend purchasing the highest quality milk available, and keep it whole.  If you can get your milk fresh off the farm, that’s best.  Most of us are near a dairy producer.  Some still deliver.  Local farm stands carry locally produced milk, in healthy, glass bottles.

Today’s allergy problems are possibly aggravated by dairy of poor quality.  We believe in using whole milk products, whenever possible.  Recent research has begun suggesting that consumption of whole milk products is associated with lowered risk of type 11 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and lowered blood pressure.

The lactose intolerant are often able to digest goat’s milk.  Reason being?  Goat’s milk contains less fat, overall, than cow’s milk, and is more uniform in structure, with more medium chain fatty acids, aiding in the ease of digestion.

Cow’s milk, goat’s milk, horse’s milk… whatever your pleasure.  Keep it in your diet, and remember, only goats make kids.

Get out the mudruckers, your wellies, those shit kickers, them rubbers.

“Wear appropriate footwear,”  we warn potential visitors, once mud season arrives. Half the time, when we open our door, we stand in slight amusement and worry, observing what some of you non-farm folk consider appropriate foot wear, for handling mud. “You sure you wanna wear THOSE shoes?”  we ask, sensing there may be an attachment.  We have seen some of the prettiest lace-ups, toughest clogs, coolest flip-flops and brightest running sneakers worn this side of the Mississippi, crossing over our mucky fields.

Truth be told, only one of you has ever complained. We, at Laszlo’s Farm, credit you, the innocent and the brave, walking out of the place, your paws covered in a cake batter only Mother Nature could make, and you tell us “no matter”, with a smile on your face.

Our sincere apology, for the effect our farm has on those fine shoes.

Difficult to find an animal more useful on the farm, than a pig.   They make great use of land in need of upgrading.  A pig will root out brambles and brush, and toss rocks. Following either horses, sheep, cows, or chickens though a rotation, they take what’s left behind, and turn the soil.  Land tilled by natural pig activity, is less susceptible to wind and rain erosion.   In 2010, we ran our piglets and sows over two acres of land that needed renovation before it could be turned into pasture.  Horses, sheep and goats came first, overwintering the parcel with hay.  Then, the following spring, we set out the pigs, and they turned leftovers into the ground, further enriching the soil. The pigs moved on by late summer, heading underneath the oak trees, and we hand tossed grass seed on the parcel left behind. Fall gave those grasses a few months to take root, before this memorably cold winter set in.  In a few weeks,  we’ll walk over those two acres, and thank our lucky pigs.

Growing up in Iowa, back in the 1970’s, meant growing up around pigs. You could wake in the morning, put your boots on, and meet the sun as you skipped over to the nearby farrowing sheds. Inside those low roofed sheds, were dual lines of small box stalls, an aisle way running between them.  Short, wooden walls, of varying cuts, and built short so a child could peek over. A heat lamp hung overhead some of these stalls, casting a warm, red glow. Those were the best stalls to peek into.  Sure enough! Your small hands gripped the top wooden rail, and your body rose on tip-e-toes, allowing your chin to point over the box.  The sow lay below that red glow, resting on a bed of straw, snorting rhythmically, while a dozen pink piglets nursed.   Pure pleasure to the human eyes!

I remember being told, “Be careful.  Don’t go climbing in.  A sow with piglets can be dangerous.  Give your arm or leg a nasty bite, if you fall.”   So when Dorothy, of the Wizard of Oz, fell into the pig pen, I’ve always felt she was lucky that it wasn’t a farrowing pen.

A child grows into an adult, and doesn’t remember much about their childhood, unless they expose themselves to remanent sights, feelings, and smells of their past. Those farrowing sheds, back in Iowa, had the sweetest smell like the way a good Burgundy wine spills into the air when first uncorked.

Good smell, good soil, good Earth.

There were three little pigs. And they all decided to build houses….. You know how the story goes! The first pig builds his house out of straw (true story), but the Big Bad Wolf comes and blows the house down. The second pig builds his house out of sticks (possibly true), but same deal with the BBWolf. So the third pig builds his house out of brick! (unlikely, but we’ll go with it) And BB Wolf can’t blow that house down, so he climbs to the roof, goes into the chimney, thinking he’s going to get the pig that way, but little does he know, the third pig has a FIRE waiting for him!  Smart pig.

Piglets due on the ground today! Our three lovely sows said good-bye to the boar, and moved into their private quarters a few weeks back, giving them time to prepare their nests.  Who would have thought?  Pigs make nests!   Guess that’s a hidden part of the old saying, ‘When Pigs Fly!’.  How many of you out there knew,  that a pig, like a bird, builds a nest?

(Tired cliche for the poor, pregnant sows stuck in confinement facilities.  No nesting going on in there.)

At Laszlo’s Farm, your concern for the well-being of these heritage animals comes to fruition. Our sows build nests. And, Laszlo’s fresh pork is again available.  Are you heading to the supermarket for bacon, or chops, or a ham for this year’s Easter celebration? There’s a better, more humane, choice!   Why purchase the plastic wrapped cut of meat, supporting the giant agribusiness model? Make one meal special.   Call us!   978.386.1116.  (Or call the farmer closest to your home.)  Our lockers are now full of USDA inspected fresh sausage, chops and ham.    These are quality cuts of meat produced the way your grandparents recall.  Hay! Ask your grandparents if they know any stories about pigs!  Do they believe that pigs can fly?

You see, our grandparents saw the change.  In the 1950’s, or thereabouts,  we began breaking agrarian promises made thousands of years earlier.  This massive agribusiness model that we are all a part of, is still in it’s infancy.  At this time, the agribusiness giants couldn’t care less that pigs naturally make nests.  The giants are also careless about,  not only the pig’s health, but also, our health, and what’s left behind in our children’s inheritance of this world.

Take one step forward.  Help the farmers holding today’s reins of promises past. Make ONE MEAL, this week, that supports the humane treatment of the animal you eat.  Or buy vegetables from a farmer who has an interest in the health of  our soil. Purchase, for one meal, food grown near your home.

In these tough economic times, locally grown food may seem out of financial reach.  But it doesn’t have to be.  Start with one meal, locally grown.  Can you find local milk, local cheese, local veggies, local bread, local meat?  Once a week.   Farmers need people like you.  We’re all in the equation, together…  You, us, the veggies and the pig.