You could say that I am a little biased towards the pork industry. After all my husband has worked in this industry for years. You could say that I know the ins and outs of what these hogs go through, from conception to the market. I have helped him out in the barns from time to time. Altough it certainly was not one of my favorite things to do on a day off, it was definitely a learning experience.
It was at one of these times that the picture was taken with this little porker. Swine were never one of my favorite animals as I grew up on a farm. We conveniently had one horse, one sheep, some chickens, 2 dogs, many cats and some hogs. As I spent time outside exploring I would often pop by the hog pen and to my disgust, these pigs would spill water out of their trough and make mud on the ground. Then, not caring what anyone would think, they would muzzle their body into this mud and enjoy laying there. I used to think it was so sad that as our other farm animals would spend time cleaning themselves, these creatures would do every effort to look filthy with mud. Eventually these hogs would leave the barn and make it to our dinner table. I never gave it much thought. One day my dad brought home four little piglets. He called me over to take a look at them and said that because they had no mother to look after them anymore, if I would care for them. Well in my boredom I gladly took up the offer. I named them and started to visit them daily and bring them treats like leftover corn husks and coal rocks and bones I found in my travels while exploring our farm. I was quite ecstatic to find out that these little pigs enjoyed bones and coal rocks. I later found out that pigs eat anything !
As these pigs grew, they knew their names and always came running to see me when I visited them daily. I would often sit on a rock in the outdoor pen and just talk and visit with them. I must say that we all became good friends. After a couple of months these pigs had blossomed into full grown hogs and my dad said to me the words that I didn't want to hear. It was time for them to be slaughtered. This time was so different since I had gotten to know these pigs. I had helped raise them from piglets to hogs. How could I just say goodbye and see these animals that I had gotten attached to, just be killed for our own consumption? It was a lesson I have not forgotten.
Today swine have gotten a bad rap. People claim that the H1N1 virus has started with swine. We are filled with mis-information and studies that don't agree with one another. What are we to believe? In my next blog I will discuss the H1N1 hype. The truth is that swine like any other animal for consumption are kept in such sterilized quarters and they tend to pick up virus' easier than the swine we kept on our farms. Our farm animals had the pleasure of going outdoors and being exposed to many bacterias.
With all of our consumption of beef, pork, and poultry, we've caused our own demise. We've demanded to have our meat, when we want it. Our forefathers ate meat when they were able to hunt and catch. There were other options available as vegetables, seeds and fruit. It's never too late to re-evaluate what we eat and how much we eat. I'm sure that our bodies will thank us for it.
