Past meets present in heritage breeds Frauke Bruns holds a Red Wattle piglet. Large Black and Red Wattle hogs help clear the land on Pork Stork Farm in Orange County.
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arnyard animals that foraged on small farms in the 1800s are the livestock breeds that are considered “heritage” today. Whether they are raising the animals for a niche market or just hoping to preserve a genetic legacy, Virginia’s heritage breed farmers are committed to preserving these types of cattle, swine and poultry for generations to come.
Heritage hogs preserve a genetic legacy BY ALICE KEMP
F PHOTOS BY ALICE KEMP
oraging in the forest, Frauke Bruns’ Large Black and Red Wattle hogs help clear the woods on her 170-acre property by eating acorns, hickory nuts and leaves. “[Their meat] has the taste of the forest,” said Bruns, who owns Pork Stork Farm in Orange County with her husband, Doug. “They take a lot of herbs, grass, fruits and bark into their diet, and this creates a neat taste. And a different color—it’s a dark red.” Bruns and her husband ventured into raising heritage hogs four years ago for a specific purpose—to create a unique selling point.
Big, floppy ears are trademarks of Large Black heritage pigs. Red Wattles are easily distinguished by their color.
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“We wanted to have rare breeds,” she explained. “Both breeds are known for their marbled meat.” Mark Estienne, a professor and swine research physiologist at Virginia Tech’s Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center, said “heritage breeds have their place on farms providing pork for consumers who desire meat raised locally. The pork produced by heritage breeds contains more fat,” which some people enjoy.
Specialty pork sells out quickly That niche market is what Bruns counts on. She sells the specialty pork
