How Meishan Pigs on Pasture Generate $6000 PER PIG! 

🔥🐷🔥 Glad you loved the video! You can contact Laura directly by reaching out to her farm “Meishan Preservation”. She has transitioned many of her stock to folks across the country but Wendy of “Imperial Farm” (Georgia) would be the closest to her 😊

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🔥🐷🔥I love what you’re doing! Keep it up 😁

Right! Clay is a good "binder" for toxins, including toxins produced by mold contaminated feeds🙌

@@PorkRhyne is this sodium bentonite clay and where can I buy this?

@@jojopornebo188 🔥🐷🔥 Great question: You can find it at some agricultural product stores in-person (large quantities ) or online (smaller quantity). Anywhere that you can buy feed or farm equipment/tools would be the best place to look. The key is, you don’t need a lot per serving and it doesn’t have to be a everyday ingredients once the problems go away. Hope that helps!

Glad you loved it! What was one fun fact you learned? :)

@@PorkRhyne There was so much useful info, but the first was about the t-post fencing used as I agree that, though the initial expense is higher than moveable fencing options, it would pay off in the long run. This fence idea can be used for all types of livestock or fencing needs.👍

That’s some good insight!

🔥🐷🔥 Thanks friend ☺️

Awesome video!! The clay drawing out mold got my interest. The reason is, this past couple of years I have had several itchy skins issues. I finally looked at information about the drugs I had been given…and they all are for fungus infections! Going to have to get some clay for me. Can’t thank you enough for commenting about this!!!

Correct! Meishans have shine the most when it comes to enhancing reproduction for pig genetics 😁

Are they available in South Africa.

Gotta say, the TaiHu are rather "ugly cute" as well!

Naw wrong we raise Berkshire crossed with hampshire and duroc and we get up to 16 piglets a litter. We sale meat hogs to the public as well.

🔥🐷🔥 Congrats! 🥳 They’re such a great breed 👍🏾

🔥🐷🔥 Thanks! Mangalitsa are a fun breed and are similar to Meishans since both are a large lard breed of pig 😁

This is something most PROFESSIONAL breeders do. There is nothing wrong with vaccines of those kinds and when a farmer gets to a larger outdoor scale, most consider this protocol.

To respond to your IPP request, I actually will not make any videos for recommending the breed. It's not that great of a breed and it has a lot of recurring issues. I'll create a review video on the breed to articulate specific reason as to why IPPs should be in anyone's consideration for pigs.

@@PorkRhyne Hi what vaccines are these? We are also having some reproduction issues with our pigs, so it would be super helpful. Thanks Zach

@@zachcobissan6775 Great question Zach! I'm not sure (not my farm) but Laura would know. You can reach out to her by contacting "Meishan Preservation" (google it). She can answer your question through that website. Thanks!

That would be a good video, to articulate which vaccines are used to achieve what end and just how much medical interventions are needed. I have not been against the true science of vaccines when and if needed but "the science" attacted to the hip of regulatory folks is a bit over the top these days. Also the quality control for money making animal industry might actually be safer and more assured than for citizens in general! ~~~ "Show Me" State Mrs...

🔥🐷🔥 I’ve never heard of a Newsham, tell me more 🤩 Meishan are so great for breeding and heat checking. Although the carcass quality is not as desirable in a typical market, incorporating some genetics can elevate anyone’s breeding program 🙌🏾

🔥🐷🔥 Thanks!

🔥🐷🔥 Great point about genetics! The reality is this breed was scheduled for eradication because the USDA was the only source for these pigs in the US. After they finished their decades long research they were going to dispose of them until a farmer named Rico saved a portion of the research herds. The breed has genetic diversity, but it’s still a small population which can lead to health concern. The AMBA is working on increasing population size and the breed is steadily growing so hopefully that will improve the overall health of the breed population over time ☺️

I agree well said!

I started with a duroc/york guiltlet in april 2020 nd then picked up a berkshire/york/red wattle boarlet later that summer 2020. She had 10 piglets in a rainstorm in Sept 2021 nd all died I was so sad. early april 2022 she had 16 healthy piglets we weaned 15 and lost only 1 piglet the runt after a few days. Sold most of them kept the 2 best guilts and they had their litter of 9 and 10 in May 2023. Only lost piglets to getting rolled on. Lost a few of them to getting rolled on. I think we need to adjust our paddocks accordingly. We have great genetics and all our pigs in our breeding program are carefully selected (culled). We;ve been rotating our boars out every 2 years since 2020. Currrently have a 20 month old Berkshire as our boar, we are rotating him for a younger cross boarlet we are raising and currently breeding the newest guilt so we dont interbreed. Our boars are always in the correct paddock for the time of year it is. We had our pigs on electric for the first 3 years we rotated them but since then weve kept them fenced in on 2 paddocks along a creek. I've been handfeeding them the best foods and we go futher to mill to get the best feed and I also hand pick thousands of pounds of fresh green orchard grass clover rye wheat every s[ring and summer to feed my pigs especially our breeding stock.

Im in New Jersey we got some nice pigs over here been blessed with finding the right pig farm to start from. Sometimes all it takes is a craiglist ad and a few ideas and then anything is possible.

Do you deworm or iron shots for piglets.??

🔥🐷🔥 Thanks for sharing! This breed is not a typical hog, nor is it’s carcass quality. It’s a heritage breed that produces tender pork and more marbling. Very different from the typical Duroc cross, but the eating experience of a duroc cross just wouldn’t compare to a Meishan if both were tried with salt and pepper only. Slower growth, but better return on quality and profitability (if you have the right markets 👍🏾😊

🔥🐷🔥 Excellent question! Sunchokes aren’t ideal for every client, but they can definitely be an additional food source for pigs. However, it’s important to express that unprocessed plant based carbs have fiber, which locks nutrients, so mono-gastric animals have a harder time getting the most of plants. So sunchokes can a good addition to an already balanced feed program. Does that help? 😊

@@PorkRhyne Helps perfectly! Shows I have a lot to learn, as I didn't even consider fiber as an issue. Thank you very much!

@@Golden_SnowFlake 🔥🐷🔥 Perfect! When feeding pigs, always think, “would I be able to full digest this if I ate it?” Since we both are mono-gastric, there are a lot of parallels in how pigs and humans digest foods. So if you’re body is unable to properly digest something, chances are the pigs will have a similar experience. Other than that sunchokes are a good part of soil fertility and regeneration, plus they are a great “enrichment” item for them to be curious, play with, and eat. Ultimately, try it out and see what happens! Farmers are scientists too, so go out there and start experimenting 🤩

Great insight! She has her own commercial processing/kitchen. She doesn’t slaughter, but transports the carcasses back her shop. They turn the pigs into value added products, with the most profitable being cured and hung prosciutto hams. She markets throughout the state of Georgia since she was only state inspected. Her clients range but a strong majority is found in direct customer sells with locals. Hope that helps!

@@PorkRhyne cool, i guess. but 6k retail value is not the same as 6k revenue.

No one is making $6000 gross or net off a hog. It’s just a lie for views.

​@Agro_Educators_Pork_Rhyne does she have a website where one can order her goodies?

@@melhawk6284Yes, you can look up “Jensen Reserve” to see her products 😊

Thanks! What one fact that you learned from the video? 😀

@@PorkRhyne the age of first heat cycles in the meishans is one thing I learned.

Perfect point 👍 Most pasture pig farmers profit in the $100s per pig is sold as typical retail cuts. Laura is profiting in the $1000 per pig. That fact demonstrates that she is still profiting more per pig without selling at a farmers market; she sells directly from her farm 👏

🔥🐷🔥 My favorite quote from the interview 👌🏾

🔥🐷🔥 Glad you enjoyed the video 😁

Intelligent?? Good one 😂

Glad you enjoyed it!

🔥🐷🔥 Apologies, the video editor and I were novices at the time of editing 😅 We improved since then 🤩

🔥🐷🔥 Good question! This is one of the best. It helps that Laura and her husband have prior business experience, so her operation of her farm and store are well thought out. Her focus on value-added products, like charcuterie, from an endangered breed like the Meishan helped elevate her above her competition when it comes to uniqueness and impact 😊

🔥🐷🔥 Are you interested in a similar business? 😁

@@PorkRhyne yes and it’s better to start out with a good plan as always

🔥🐷🔥 Great comment 👍🏾 The American Meishan Breeders Association is a great resource! However if you need more assistance from experienced folk, we can help too 😁 Feel free to go to PorkRhyne.com and send me message if you’re interested in consulting ☺️

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🔥🐷🔥 We talking about pigs, or humans? 🤣

🔥🐷🔥 Homemade Prosciutto Hams. I’ll have to do another interview specifically about that. She show was having some renovations so we didn’t get to talk in detail about it.

@@PorkRhyne Love you style, voice and expertise at your craft Rhyne. Is that really your name? Fortuitous if so... lol

@@itsno1duh Thanks! Yes, his first name is in fact “Rhyne”. He tells people that his was born for this since is sounds like a pork “rind” 😂

🔥🐷🔥 Breeding at that age is not ideal, but Meishans are more capable of handling early farrowing compared to most breeds 😊

@@PorkRhyne That's interesting. I'm guessing that this could be the way to get mini size Meishans.

@@naturewatcher7596 🔥🐷🔥 Not exactly. Miniature sizes comes from selective breeding, not premature or early breeding.

🔥🐷🔥 That’s a fun question 🤩 She “could” do that, however it would probably not be economical because feral pigs have variable genetics (so no product consistency) and the current population available are around because of natural selection. Human selection is for production and flavor, so wild boar wouldn’t fit those metrics. BUT you could use wild boar for improved survival instinct, BUT that type of instincts are not fun for farmer because those pigs are hard to manage 😅 What are your thoughts? 😁

@@PorkRhyneI think that if they were blended with the domestic population, over a few generations they would go back to being domestic. The first two generations could possibly be sold as game meat. The fat from the first generation would likely have better Omega 3 to 6 ratios making the product less inflammatory to consumers. Having some wild pigs in the genetic mix may also add some resistance to diseases. If the mother is domesticated, the piglets with the feral father will take cues from their domesticated mother so won't grow up afraid of humans.

@@HepCatJack 🔥🐷🔥 Nice take on the scenario. It would probably be safer to just buy wild boar semen and AI the sows. The other issue with wild boar is that they can carry a lot of disease that can pig a domestic pig and be infectious to us. So just using semen from a wild boar would protect the sows (which are an investment to protect) and humans involved 😁

There are breeders in Texas, but I'm not sure where. Contact the AMBA to find Meishan breeders near you 🙂

There is one in blue ridge.

Great question! The majority of the profit is coming from her curing her hams into prosciutto, which she sales for $10s of dollars for ounces, rather than pounds (weight). Hope that helps!

@@PorkRhyne yeah but that's only one part of the pig she sells the Rest by the pound. The market for anything at $17 a pound is extraordinarily slim.

@@deannelson9565 🔥🐷🔥 From my own experience and the experience of my network of farmers, that price point is only slim if a farmer is selling in an area that can’t nor will support that price. Additionally, one’s ability to market and sell is just as much of a factor. Laura and her husband have other businesses, so they knew that the best way to turn a profit and highlight the uniqueness of this particular pig was to value-add the Meishan. So it is possible, but many farmers struggle to think outside the box of the traditional farmers market sells route. Hope that helped ☺️

Sounds like she’s trying to bring in a hee haw investor to give her money before she folds over

@@kanesmith8271 🔥🐷🔥 No even close 🤣 Laura and her husband run successful businesses outside of farming and they’re invested in Al their enterprises. She has no desire to sell her passion. Cute assumption tho 😂

Good question! They will actually need more shade since they are black. Dark colored animals absorb more light, meaning they absorb more heat. That’s great for winter time, but not so great for summer. Red coated livestock are the perfect balance between natural heat and cool temperature constants. Hope that helped!

🔥🐷🔥 Oh yes my friend 😅 But 99% of them aren’t that way… just watch out for that 1%, especially their owners 🤣

Lol!

Great question! On average they do! Generally breeds with high litter counts tend to be more maternal. Meishans have been known to go to 20+ piglets per litter! So you can say that have a more natural mothering desire than most average breeds :)

You'd want to feed them a mixture of processed grain and forage 👍

@@PorkRhyne How good are they at defending themselves from coyotes?

@@1rstjames Good question! Not completely sure since I don’t raise them. But, Laura and I have seen the Meshain sows huddle up in a circle (like musk oxen) to protect their young from strangers. So they are defensive. The main source of loss in a pig farm is not wild animals, but more so sows accidentally crushing their piglets. Once a pig is past the piglet stage they generally aren’t a problem against predators. They also sprint very fast and outrun and out maneuver most animals. So I wouldn’t worry about predation with pigs that are past two months old.

Hey buddy, you can reach out to Laura Jensen by going to their website: JensenReserve.com Let me know how that goes!

🔥🐷🔥 I bet 😂 It’s sad to see pigs not being valued for their economic worth. But sale barns are never meant for the best, usually for those who want to offload inferior genetics or are desperate for cash 🤷🏾‍♂️

🔥🐷🔥 She turns her pigs into charcuterie, which is dollars per ounce, rather than dollar per pound. Her highest markup product is her prosciutto ham, which she cites and hangs herself. Make sense? 👍🏾

🔥🐷🔥 Thanks for sharing your story! Sounds like you’re doing awesome work 🙏🏾😁

@@PorkRhyne It's all GLORY TO GOD!!! I'm just amazed to be apart of thee blessing 🙌🏿 Looking forward to speaking with you beloved brother! Perhaps you could join me on our prayer line when possible 🙏🏿

@americanmeishanbreedersass8952

They are safe and effective. Ask no more questions!!!

🔥🐷🔥 Meishans are prolific breeders, however the high productivity leads to reproductive burnout. Ultimately, sows are not mean to be around past three years because their litter sizes tend to decline and their feed cost continues to go up, so they aren’t economically viable past a certain age. Does that make sense? 😊

Great question! She vaccinates, herself, but she first learned from her veterinarian. 🔥🐷🔥 Pork Rhyne

😂😂😂

Definitely one of MANY factors in raising quality pigs 👍🏾

🔥🐷🔥 Sure: Laura Jensen makes her own prosciutto and other cured meats, which are dollars per ounce, not pennies per ounce like with retail cuts. Hope that helps 👍🏾

Great points! She sells the hams as cured prosciutto and other carcass parts are value added, so she actually makes more money per hog than the average Duroc gross income value. She does her own value added products which increase the value of the pig to $6000 on average. How much money do you gross from one of your Duroc crosses? 😊

Most farmers typically have a bank note do every 6 months. I'm sure a hog farmer with confinement facilities probably has fixed cost.

Why not raise duroc cross and make her cured ham then she will be doubling her income?

I got mangalisa I'm getting 8$ a lb and the infrastructure I need is minimal plus I don't need a comershal feed so I grow most of my own feed at 60$ for 30000 lb an acer so win for me

​@@gfgf2417 taste

Right, but she earns $6000 for retail pigs and sells breeder piglets for over $650... so worth the investment compared to other breeds that have a much lower market value. She is making good money compared to a majority of pig farmers :)

@@PorkRhyne I'm 13 mins in still listening to see how she makes that money...hopefully it's coming up soon

We have Berkshire/Meishan cross...and ours are 350lbs in 6 months hanging weight 275 280...I don't understand the 15 month process...why so long... check out our channel #berkshirehillfarm

@@youjustdontgetit8117 She raises pure bred Meishans which means they will take longer to reach those weights. She sells purebred Meishan charcuterie which is why she makes that much off a carcass. If you have more questions, ask Laura @ laura@jensenreserve.com