What's So Special About Berkshires?
Meat Quality
Berkshire pork, prized for juiciness, flavor and tenderness, is pink-hued and heavily marbled. Its high fat content contributes to it's great flavor. If you haven't before, we'd encourage you to do a bind taste study to experience the added quality Berkshire meat brings to the table.
Niche Production
Berkshires are great for small herd swine production! Once you taste the meat, you'll appreciate the difference.
Mothering Ability
Berkshire are also known for their great mothering ability with high milk production. They are hardy and perform well in both indoor and outdoor operations.
The History of the Breed
The following is according to the American Berkshire Association:
Three hundred years ago – so legend has it – the Berkshire hog was discovered by Oliver Cromwell’s army, in winter quarters at Reading, the county seat of the shire of Berks in England. After the war, these veterans carried the news to the outside world of the wonderful hogs of Berks, larger than any other swine of that time and producing hams and bacon of rare quality and flavor. This is said to have been the beginning of the fame of the Reading Fair as a market place for pork products.
This original Berkshire was reddish or sandy colored hog, sometimes spotted. Later this basic stock was refined with a cross of Siamese and Chinese blood, bringing the color pattern we see today along with the quality of more efficient gains. This was the only outside blood that has gone into the Berkshire breed within the time of recorded livestock history.
For 200 years now the Berkshire bloodstream has been pure, as far as the records are known today.
The excellent carcass quality of the Berkshire hog made him an early favorite with the upper class of English farmers. For years the Royal Family kept a large Berkshire herd at Windsor Castle. A famous Berkshire of a century ago was named Windsor Castle, having been farrowed and raised within sight of the towers of the royal residence. This boar was imported to this country in 1841, creating a stir in the rural press, which has seldom been equaled. From these writings, it appears that he must have weighed around 1,000 pounds at maturity. His offspring were praised for their increased size, along with their ability to finish at any age. According to the best available records, the first Berkshires were brought to this country in 1823.
Berkshire pork, prized for juiciness, flavor and tenderness, is pink-hued and heavily marbled. Its high fat content contributes to it's great flavor. If you haven't before, we'd encourage you to do a bind taste study to experience the added quality Berkshire meat brings to the table.
Niche Production
Berkshires are great for small herd swine production! Once you taste the meat, you'll appreciate the difference.
Mothering Ability
Berkshire are also known for their great mothering ability with high milk production. They are hardy and perform well in both indoor and outdoor operations.
The History of the Breed
The following is according to the American Berkshire Association:
Three hundred years ago – so legend has it – the Berkshire hog was discovered by Oliver Cromwell’s army, in winter quarters at Reading, the county seat of the shire of Berks in England. After the war, these veterans carried the news to the outside world of the wonderful hogs of Berks, larger than any other swine of that time and producing hams and bacon of rare quality and flavor. This is said to have been the beginning of the fame of the Reading Fair as a market place for pork products.
This original Berkshire was reddish or sandy colored hog, sometimes spotted. Later this basic stock was refined with a cross of Siamese and Chinese blood, bringing the color pattern we see today along with the quality of more efficient gains. This was the only outside blood that has gone into the Berkshire breed within the time of recorded livestock history.
For 200 years now the Berkshire bloodstream has been pure, as far as the records are known today.
The excellent carcass quality of the Berkshire hog made him an early favorite with the upper class of English farmers. For years the Royal Family kept a large Berkshire herd at Windsor Castle. A famous Berkshire of a century ago was named Windsor Castle, having been farrowed and raised within sight of the towers of the royal residence. This boar was imported to this country in 1841, creating a stir in the rural press, which has seldom been equaled. From these writings, it appears that he must have weighed around 1,000 pounds at maturity. His offspring were praised for their increased size, along with their ability to finish at any age. According to the best available records, the first Berkshires were brought to this country in 1823.
