LIVE IBERICO (IBERIAN) PIGS FOR SALE.
We have breeding gilts and boars for sale.
Call 850-570-8989 for details.
The Glendower herd was part of the first importation of Iberico pigs to the U.S. in modern times. The US side of that importation was managed by Glendower owner Hines Boyd in 2014. Today's herd of Glendower pigs descends from that original importation.
ABOUT THE IBERICO PIG IN THE U.S.
The Iberian (Iberico) pig is a 2000-year-old heritage breed from the Iberian Peninsula. For centuries, it has been raised in the Oak Savannahs of Spain and Portugal in an outdoor production system where it forages on grasses, herbs, and acorns, supplemented with grain. Due to the pig’s unique genetics, a ham from an acorn-finished Iberico pig has an unusual blend of fatty acids. The ham will cure for very long periods, allowing for intense flavor development without going rancid. These famous dry-cured Iberico hams are considered delicacies in Spain and around the world.
Iberico pigs and their close relatives were brought to the Americas several centuries ago by Spanish explorers and missionaries, beginning with Columbus’ second voyage in 1493. Eventually, most of the early Spanish pigs were abandoned and escaped into the wild. Their genetics were diluted out by northern European pigs. They essentially disappeared, and the American consumer forgot about these incredible meat animals.
Between 2014 and 2017, there were a handful of new Iberico pig importations from Spain and Portugal. So, today there are a few thousand Iberico pigs in the U.S. More recently, USDA has approved one or more pork processing plants in Spain for shipping fresh and processed pork products to the U.S. Now, Iberico pork products are becoming more widely available in the U.S.
MEETING TODAY'S PRODUCTION CHALLENGES The upstart U.S. Iberico pig industry has two major challenges. First, the outdoor pig is notoriously expensive to grow because of its small litter size, slow growth rate, and inefficient feed conversion. Second, the average U.S. pork consumer doesn't know what to do with it. It's more like beef than pork. It must be cooked differently than other pork to appreciate its exquisite and flavorful eating qualities. The recently growing availability of more Iberico pork in the U.S. market could help solve that problem.
At Glendower, we've been working for several years on possible solutions to the production cost problem. By trying to select for more productive purebred Iberico sows and by experimenting with heritage breed crosses that can be produced more efficiently without compromising the fabulous meat quality and taste of the Iberico. Crossbreeding, however, is a production tool. It can't exist without the availability a true purebred base. That's now our primary focus at Glendower.
