Evento

Heritage Breeds and Pork Production

Guest speakers include:

Dr. Susan Kerr, Dr. Susan Kerr, WSU Northwest Livestock and Dairy Extension Specialist
Tania Issa, owner and farmer of the Sheepish Pig in Kingston
Ken Drecksel, Resource Planner and Soil Scientist at Kitsap Conservation District

We will explore these topics throughout the workshop:
Heritage hog breeds - what do you want out of your breed?
On-farm Biosecurity
Specific feed nutrition and how to create a balanced diet
Organic and non-organic feeds and feed sources
Raising pigs for slaughter - farm tour at Sheepish Pig
Mud management and working pens with the Kitsap Conservation District

About the speakers:

Dr. Susan Kerr received degrees in Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University. After 7 years in mixed rural private veterinary practice, she entered a doctoral program at Kansas State University and received a PhD in Education. She was the Washington State University-Klickitat County Extension Director for 17 years and is now the WSU NW Regional Livestock and Dairy Extension Specialist in Mount Vernon, WA.

Tania is raising rare breed Mangalitsa, the so-called 'wooly pig,' on her 23 acre farm in Kingston. This breed of hog from Hungary, which was near extinction in the late 1990s, is well known in the culinary world as "The Kobe Beef of Pork", prized for its deep red marbled meat and creamy lard. Tania's interest in this breed developed after reading an article 10 years ago, about the use of this hog to remove invasive plants from fields and wetlands in Europe. After getting her own herd of Mangalitsa hogs, Tania was delighted to see them devour scotch broom and Himalayan blackberries, clearing her overgrown Kingston pastures in record time, and turning it into the tastiest bacon and chops her family had ever eaten. When Tania is not on "The Sheepish Pig Farm," she can be found at her retail store, Kingston Mercantile & Marine, where she sells USDA-certified small cuts of her Mangalitsa pork. Tania and her husband Antoine are also busy parents to five sons, ages 12 to 21.

A light lunch will be provided during the lunch and there will time for an informal networking time for participants. Attendees will be expected to provide their own travel from the Village Green Center to nearby farm in the afternoon.