Is Slow Growth, Heritage Pork worth the extra money?

The Shire Homestead 
62 Fernald Rd
Freeport, Maine 04032
I(207)607-6038
Is Slow Growth, Heritage Pork worth the extra money?
April 7, 2026

Money is tight.  When it comes to groceries, we are all spending more. Which means, we must carefully consider what we are spending our money on.  For many, we need to get more bang for our buck. Food is fuel, food is medicine.  The saying, “We are what we eat” means that the food we consume has a direct impact on our health, well being, and overall condition.  Food as medicine, has a similar meaning with the addition that what we eat can impact our health, even treating conditions and diseases (like inflammatory conditions, type 2 diabetes, and digestive disorders/diseases, etc).   The industrial model of pig farming has proven to be very efficient and profitable, offering pork at a seemingly affordable price.  When you are only looking at the price asked at the store for your pork chops, it is a system that is highly successful. 


A deeper look at  the Industrialized Pig:
When considering the health benefits of eating Industrialized Produced Pork, one should consider the following:

1.  Use of Antibiotics:  Industrialized pigs are often treated with antibiotics as a preventative measure. Diseases like pneumonia (which can spread quickly among confined and cramped pigs),  gastrointestinal infections (like Swine Dysentery and Colibacillosis), skin infections (like erysipelas) and to enhance overall speed of growth and feed efficiency which indirectly reduces disease susceptibility. Over use of antibiotics can lead to antibiotic resistance in the pig and in the humans that eat them.
   
2. Hormones and Additives:  some producers use both hormones (while it is illegal to use growth hormones in the US, they do use an “alternative growth promoter” called Ractopamine (a beta-agonist) to increase lean meat and improve efficiency. They do use Reproductive Hormones (Prostaglandins, FSH/LSH) in breeding management, leaving concerns over long term consumption side effects in the persons who eat the meat. 
   
3. Processing Methods:  using higher levels of additives, preservatives and sodium in producing certain pork products like bacon and hams.
   
4. Animal Welfare Concerns:  The conditions in which pigs are raised can lead to stress and disease, potentially affecting meat quality and taste. Not to mention, a lack of concern in allowing a pig to enjoy its life prior to fulfilling its destiny as food. Treating an animal like an inanimate commodity without concern for its quality of life. No sunshine, no fresh air, no rooting, a monotonous diet, etc.  
   
5. Environmental Concerns:  Industrialized pork production contributes to environmental concerns in many ways. Leeching of antibiotics, hormones, medicines through waste, fecal and bacterial contamination on a massive scale, pollution and a lack of biodiversity as one type of pig is bred to fit one sized industrial mechanisms and elements of production. 
   
6. Food Supply Issues:  disease outbreak, food costs and availability (fertilizer shortages, etc), labor shortages, and transportation disruptions all contribute to food supply chain issues with industrialized pork.  
   

             As seen with the Covid 19 pandemic:  A. Disruptions in supply chains led to processing plant closures and reduced production.  B. Labor shortages caused by illness and added safety measures. C. Changes in consumption habits ( ie: reduction in eating in a restaurant, more demand on Grocery stores). D. The destruction of approximately 1.5 million pigs culled due to processing plant closures, labor shortages, and market specification issues (the pigs grew too big for market specifications due to reduced availability of processing). 
How does Slow Growth, Outdoor production differ from the industrialized model?

1.  Better animal welfare: Pastured pigs or pigs raised on the ground have more space to roam about in, a variety of natural environmental exposures (grass, woods, sunshine).  They are allowed to engage in more natural behaviors like rooting, basking and wallowing. 
   
2. Enhanced Flavor: Outside raised pork has a richer, more complex flavor than indoor (industrialized) raised pork. Pigs raised in the woods, on pasture and allowed to root enjoy a varied diet of many types of plants, grubs, trees and small animals/insects. 
   
3. Sunshine:  Has many positive impacts on pastured/outdoor raised pork! It helps pigs synthesize vitamin D which supports calcium and phosphorus absorption, enhances natural immune function and disease resistance, promotes overall growth and development in young pigs, aids in reproductive health improving fertility rates, reduces metabolic disorders (ie Rickets) and contributes to better feed efficiency and weight gain.
   
4. Nutritional Benefits:  higher vitamin and mineral content (pigs too, are what they eat!) and higher ratio of healthy fats like Omega 3 fatty acids!
   
5. Reduced Antibiotic Use:  Pastured pork or pork raised outside by smaller independent farms typically use few antibiotics. They require less. Having a healthier lifestyle promotes healthier pigs and healthier pigs require minimal intervention or antibiotics. Thus, the consumer avoids unnecessary exposure to antibiotics and resulting antibiotic  resistance.
   
6. Environmental Impacts: sustainable farming practices lead to healthier ecosystems and soil.  Most outdoor farmers rotate grazing or housing to avoid over use and disease.  
   
7. Supporting Local Farmers: purchasing from your local farmer strengthens a communities economy. It keeps farmers in your community, which the Pandemic made clear was very important to food chain issues and production problems. 
   

So, IS Slow Growth, Heritage Pork worth the extra money?

At the end of the day, each person will need to evaluate how important the quality of pork meat and how important the animal welfare, environmental,  and supply chain issues are to you and whether or not devoting extra in your budget is worth it.
About OUR pork:
We at the Shire Homestead raise heritage breed pigs outdoors. We raise American Guinea Hog crossed with Idaho Pasture or KuneKune pigs. We occasionally grow larger heritage hogs, but prefer the medium and smaller breeds for easier handling. We rotate between the woods and on grass, but always outside in the sunshine and fresh air. We move their housing also.  Our pigs tend to be slow growth, taking a full season ( approximately 9 months) to size up. They enjoy at least three seasons of the year!  This deepens the flavor and nutritional value of our meat.  Our pigs are loved and treated with affection. Our goal being only one bad day. They get exercise, eat a variety of food-stuffs. From leaves, grass, wood, grubs, small animals they catch themselves to what we bring them, such as: milk, whey, animal scraps (we raise chickens, geese, ducks, rabbits and goats) that all contribute to “offal” the pigs prize), and food scraps we generate as a nine member, three generation farmstead!  We are very proud of our pork and invite you to give it a try!

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