Buying a Whole or Half Hog
We sell our Animal Welfare Approved pastured hogs whole and by the side. There are many reasons to buy bulk pork including convenience and cost savings, but it can be a confusing process the first time you take the leap. We try to keep it simple and hope this guide will assist you. If you have more questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch!
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All of our pork comes from hogs born and raised on our farm. Their breeds are primarily Heritage breeds: Duroc, Berkshire, Hampshire, and Landrace. Our processor packages the pork in vacuum-sealed freezer plastic, before labeling and flash freezing it.
Purchase Details
Whole Hog price per pound hanging weight: $5.50*
Half hog price per pound hanging weight: $5.70*
Average hanging weight (whole hog): 250 lbs
Average hanging weight (half hog): 125 lbs
Deposit: $200 to reserve your hog (whole or half)
Freezer space needed: 10-12 cu ft for a whole hog,
5-6 cu ft for a half hog
*Price subject to change
The deposit can be paid online through our website in the
Pastured Pork section of the store.
Once your actual hanging weight is known (after the hogs go to the processor), you will receive a final invoice with the actual balance less your deposit. This comes through QuickBooks and can land in your spam folder. If you think you should have heard from us, please check your spam folder and then reach out via the website or directly through our email (farmer@minkafarm.com).
The final balance can be paid with cash, check or Venmo at the time of delivery.
While we do our best to minimize price changes, we take deposits often well in advance of processing. If the processor or other suppliers change prices significantly, we need to raise our price to cover those increases. We lock in your price two months before delivery and will notify you if it has changed. If you no longer wish to continue with your order because of the increase in price, you may cancel at that time with a full refund of your deposit.
Important Dates for 2025
Next pork will be harvested
May 12, 2025
Delivery will be 10-14 days later
4/4
Pork will be harvested
in August 2025
More details
Whole hogs are processed to your specifications. We supply the cut sheet as a Google Form which offers information about which cuts can be made from each section of the hog based on your preferences. Sausage processing is included in the price of a whole/half hog; however, our processor requires a minimum of 50# of sausage for each flavor & format (links, patties, pinkie links or bulk packs). Sometimes, the choices you make and the size of the hog will not allow for 50# of trim, which is what's ground and made into ground pork and sausages. We can help you with you, but please understand that this is not an exact science. Our processor gives us the hanging weight before we need to turn in the cut sheet so we can make a more educated guess about what cuts might need to be sacrificed if you desire sausages.
Half hogs are processed to a standard set of cuts. These include two Boston Butts, one rack of Spareribs, one rack of Babyback ribs, one whole Tenderloin, sliced smoked bacon (uncured), boneless pork chops, one picnic roast, 25 lbs mild bulk sausage, and plain ground pork.
We deliver to a large area around Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Mebane. If you live outside of our delivery area, we can meet you on the edges of our delivery range and transfer your order into coolers. If you live outside our delivery range, please confirm in your note with payment of the deposit that you are OK with meeting us for a pork transfer.
You are welcome to split your purchase among friends, extended family, neighbors or whomever you like. We are happy to accept payments from multiple sources. However, we will only deliver to one address and cannot assist with splitting your order. Because pork delivery day is already a long one, we will need you to unload your pork into coolers or other containers before sorting it.
More questions?
Have more questions? Feel free to contact us through our Contact Us page, or email us directly at farmer@minkafarm.com