Our pigs are rotated on lush pastures and given grains soaked in whey from our cheese making. We produce our pork without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or antibiotics.
What is Whey-Good Pork?
Whey good pork is simply the best pork you can buy. It is raised responsibly, on pasture and fed whey (from our cheese making) soaked grains. We do not use antibiotics, chemical fertilizers, or pesticides in the production of our pork. You can be assured that the pork reaching your table is nutrient-dense, pure, and incredibly delicious.
Where can I get Whey-Good Pork?
Whey-Good pork is available as individual cuts at the James Ranch Market. (see Find our Products Page for locations and times).
What is whey?
Whey is the liquid drained from the milk solids in the cheese making process (see the Cheese Making page for more information). It is comprised of lactose, water, and protein. It smells and tastes delicious!
How are the pigs raised?
Our pigs are raised on the lush pastures of the James Ranch Tree farm and fed a combination of spent brewer's grain from Steamworks Brewing Co in Durango, non-GMO spent corn from the distilling operations of neighboring Honeyville, and the whey from James Ranch Artisan Cheese. Our pigs also forage for fresh grass, roots, and anything else they can dig up in the pastures of our Animas Valley ranch. They live outside their entire lives with room to root, run, and develop their muscles (imparting flavor a confinement operation cannot match) - resulting in contented, healthy animals and delicious, nutrient-dense pork.
Why are we raising pigs on the James Ranch?
Pigs are amazing animals, and we love bacon and all pork products! They fill a niche in our community by consuming the by-products of other industries - spent barley, spent corn and whey - preventing these resources from becoming a waste problem. Distilleries and breweries utilize the sugars present in the various grains as fuel for fermentation. The spent grains have almost no remaining sugars but are very high in protein, an excellent food for pigs. The cheese making process concentrates the fats and protein in milk, leaving whey (high in milk-sugars). By combining these three by-products we offer our pigs a balanced food source. This feed, combined with grass and exercises, results in a happy, healthy animal and a high-quality, delicious product. That makes us happy, too!
Do you rotate the pigs like you rotate your cows?
Absolutely! They get a fresh paddock of pasture when they have finished expressing their pigness on the previous pasture.
