Are you ready to go whole hog in 2024?
When historic Rancho Llano Seco in Chico discontinued its meat operation last fall, we purchased approximately 200 of their premium Duroc, Yorkshire, and Landrace cross piglets, along with mature breeding stock, in the hopes of continuing the genetic lines that made Llano Seco pork a top choice of high end restaurants and meat purveyors in the Bay Area.
Stemple Creek Ranch has developed a long established, and close relationship with Llano Seco’s sixth generation family through the years, as we share the same high standards for raising livestock with care and quality of life.
For the last several months, we continued raising the Llano Seco piglets free-range in wide open pasture where they were allowed to forage on natural grasses and express piggy behaviors. They were also fed a supplemental diet of Non-GMO barley. These mature animals are now ready for harvest!
Why buy a whole animal?
Purchasing a whole pig is a great way to stock your freezer with high quality pork protein while substantially saving on your grocery bill. The price for a whole pig is $6.75/lb based on the hanging weight, which ranges from 180-240 lbs per animal, resulting in a cost of $1215 - $1620 (not including cut and wrap fees). So for example, a 180-pound pig (which yields about 125 pounds of meat after processing) will have a total cost around $1,413 (including butcher fees). If you assume a one-half pound serving portion of meat per person, that makes the cost per pound approximately $5.65 for 100% pasture-raised pork! Plus buying whole is the most sustainable option, as all parts of the animal are used which cuts down on waste.
When you purchase a whole pig from Stemple Creek Ranch, you will have the option to choose between two local butchers for processing: Willowside Meats in Santa Rosa, CA or Bud's Custom Meats in Penngrove, CA. The butcher shop you select will communicate directly with you regarding the cut and wrap process, and when the meat will be ready. These purveyors will always strive to meet your preferred timeline. The custom cut and wrap fees for both of these butchers is around $1.10 per pound (charged on the hanging weight). Depending on the exact hanging weight of each animal, the cut and wrap charges vary from approximately $198 - $264, and are paid directly to the butcher shop.
Just think of all the ways you can enjoy your delicious, lean pastured pork: roasts, stir fry, braise, BBQ, and of course, BACON! There has never been a better time to buy a whole pig from Stemple Creek Ranch.