Finding the Right Pigs for Our Farm: From Chaos to KuneKunes

The messy, funny, surprisingly perfect story of how we went from ravenous Berkshires to gentle KuneKunes.

I can’t remember the exact moment we decided to add pigs to our farm—but I do remember the disaster that followed.

My first purebred kune kune sow, Francis

I didn’t grow up with pigs. My roots are in crops and goats—onions in the field, milk in the pail, and chickens scratching through the garden. When Jake and I got married, we filled every spare inch of our life with gardens, fowl, and dairy goats. But at some point, as our homestead stretched and deepened, pigs just felt like the next right thing.

I researched like a woman possessed. Heritage breeds were a must (of course). I wanted flavor, sustainability, and hardiness.I researched like a woman possessed. Heritage breeds were a must (of course). I wanted flavor, sustainability, and hardiness. There where a few heritage breeds that seemed to work well.

Being at the end of the world isn’t exactly helpful when you’re trying to import quality livestock, but eventually I found an ad for Berkshire pigs. Perfect! I’d read rave reviews about the rich, succulent pork. I contacted the seller and arranged to pick up one or two bred sows.

Jake borrowed my dad’s trailer and headed out to make the hour-long drive. I waited in excitement for their arrival.