WHOLES & HALVES
ALL NATURAL HERITAGE HOGS
DIRECT FROM THE FARMER
We are happy to raise Heritage Hogs for our Customers during the Harvest Season. We raise Hogs here at our Farm in Oak Park and sell them primarily as Halves and Wholes. That means that our customers commit to a half or a whole hog, receiving a large variety of cuts and processing options for your premium pork!
When we sell it as Halves and Wholes, we charge a per pound price that is based on the hanging weight. We charge $3.75 per pound, hanging weight.
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We work directly with a butcher shop to ensure that you have the highest quality processing. We work with Backroads Meats in Milaca, they have a lot of options and great seasonings. They charge a per-pound rate, plus there are some things that cost a little more, like smoking hams for example.
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I have examples of the cost in the next section below here. We want to be as up-front as possible. This is a big purchase and commitment that neither party takes lightly. We raise these hogs with integrity and hope that it provides your family with comfort and confidence in knowing where and how their food is raised.
$3.75/ LB
NO ANTIBIOTICS
NO VACCINES
NO HORMONES
You get quite a bit of bacon with your Half or Whole Hog!
Moved to new paddocks throughout the summer
It's fun to cook dinner when you have a freezer full of protein options to choose from!
AVG WEIGHTS
This is where the price comes from and I wanted to share some brief information about our hogs here so you have a good idea of what to expect for the pricing.
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Whole hogs usually range in the 220-250 range. At $3.75 per pound, that's $825- $938 for a Whole Hog.
Half Hogs, expect to pay half of that- so a range of $400-$470.
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This is for raising the Heritage Hog for you, this is paid to Brown Family Farm. When we receive the hanging weights back from the butcher shop, we send you an invoice for the balance (minus your deposit).
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PROCESSING
Processing is billed separately. The butcher shop charges for their time and expertise in butchering, cutting and processing your pork. The butcher shop will call you when your order is complete and ready for pick up.
When you arrive there, you'll pay them for processing which is $1.10 per pound (as of spring 2025). There are some small upcharges on specific cuts or processing options. Like smoking the hams for example, because it takes time/resources to brine and smoke the ham.
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Average processing cost is $175 for a Half and $350 for a Whole. This is paid directly to the butcher shop when you pick up your pork.
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WORKING WITH THE BUTCHER SHOP
We work directly with the butcher shop and bring them our Heritage Hogs. We give them our Customer's names and numbers and they will call you directly to get your cutting instructions. This system works great because then you can ask questions along the way, too!
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A LOT of our Customers are new to buying direct from the farmer. We want to make this as easy as possible and show you that it is actually very simple. All of our Customers get the reminder email prior to your Hog going into the butcher shop. I explain some of the options you have and where the cuts come from, so you're an informed consumer.
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For example, the ham is the back leg of the hog. So each Half Hog has one WHOLE ham. Most customers quarter it so it's smaller more manageable pieces. We quarter ours because I think it's got better flavor (the brine penetrates better) and it warms up faster in the oven; one giant ham has the potential to dry out more, in my opinion. These are the types of experiences I share with our customers before they chat with the butcher.
The butcher will ask you- do you want your ham as a whole or quartered? Another option is ham steaks which are always fun too, we like using those to make scalloped potatoes. We get 2 or 3 meals out of a couple ham steaks. Since we always get a Whole Hog, we will sometimes get one ham quartered, and the second ham cut into steaks for variety.
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The butcher shop is happy to work with our customers and it's my job to make this as easy as possible for you to place your order, when the time comes. We want you to be confident!
DEPOSITS
To sign up for your Half or Whole Hog, submit your deposit through the website or send a check in the mail.
It's a $100 deposit for a Half and $200 for a Whole Hog. The deposit is to cover some of the up-front costs associated with the feed and care for your hog, it is non-refundable, but it is transferrable.
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These hogs live the high life here at Brown Family Farm, they have free choice feed available all the time, fresh produce every day and they drink clean healthy well water (the same that comes out of the tap at my kitchen sink). We have sold out every year we've ever offered hogs, so I imagine we will sell out again this year.
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Now that our Special Order period is passed (for the Returning Customers), we are selling our Hogs as first-come-first-serve until they're sold out for the season. When we sell out, the option for making a deposit will be removed from the online store below.