Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
tend to be short, they have a long, lean body that makes them an ideal bacon type. In addition,
their long bodies have 16 or 17 pairs of ribs and thus produce more cuts of meat. The typical
pig has 14 pairs of ribs.
Landrace pigs tend to be quite docile, and they grow rapidly. One of their most desirable char-
acteristics is that Landrace sows produce unusually large litters, as well as a great deal of milk
with which to support their piglets. As a result, Landrace sows often are used in crossbreeding
programs, particularly with Durocs.
Yorkshire
Like the Landrace, the Yorkshire pig is a bacon type with white hair and pink skin. It has a
dished face with erect ears and a long, lean frame that supplies ample, high-quality bacon.
They were brought into the United States in the early 1800s, though it was not until the 1950s
to 1970s that the breed really flourished. Yorkshires are comparatively small, with mature
boars averaging 600 to 800 pounds, and they tend to grow slowly. Nevertheless, it is a popular
breed commonly found in commercial pig farms across the United States.
Yorkshires breed well, with large litters and sows producing plenty of milk. Yorkshires com-
monly are seen in the media — if you can think of a famous pig from TV or film, it was prob-
ably a Yorkshire. For example, Arnold Ziffel, who often upstaged Eva Gabor on TV's
Green
Acres
, along with Babe from the 1995 film of the same name, were Yorkshires.
Ossabaw Island
Feral Ossabaws inhabit the island in Georgia from which they draw their name. In the 1500s,
Spanish explorers often left small herds on islands in the Americas to establish future sources
of food, and the pigs of Ossabaw Island are thought to be descended from one of those herds.
Although some may see them as a pet breed, Ossabaws are usually prized for their dark, un-
usually textured meat, as it resembles that of the black Iberian pig.
Living in an isolated island environment has had some interesting effects on the breed. One
consequence of their isolated existence in a sparse environment is an extremely high level of
intelligence, which they require in order to exploit every possible food source. In addition,
Ossabaws carry a “thrifty gene” that permits them to store fat effectively. The consequence is
that domestic Ossabaws, which have ready access to ample food supplies, often develop a
form of diabetes. Due to the breed's problems with diabetes, the breed is rarely ever crossbred
