Six Point Renaissance
A Minnesota pork producer group is marketing the almost-forgotten Berkshire breed to global markets
 

STORY AND PHOTO BY DAN LEMKE
 

Cottonwood, Minn. — Six Point Berkshire is grateful that not all pork chops are created equal. The 33-member hog producer group from southwest Minnesota is among a tiny minority in the nation producing Berkshire hogs. The slow-growing breed produces meat that’s more flavorful but also higher in fat than most American-raised pork.
 

Six Point Berkshire drew its name from the breed’s distinctive characteristic — four white feet, white nose and white-tipped tail. The handsome hogs have been in the United States for nearly two centuries, but the breed almost vanished a few years ago. (See the sidebar story below: A Bershire History) “When we started raising Berkshires eight years ago, there were only about 700 females in the country,” says Gene Goldenstein, Six Point Berkshire manager.
 

The breed fell out of favor with producers who want to raise lean pork quickly and efficiently. Berkshires produce small litters — only five to seven baby pigs per farrowing. They gain weight slowly and have a higher percentage of intramuscular fat than most breeds grown on a large scale today.
 

Six Point Berkshire produces the largest concentration of purebred Berkshires in the country — 36,000 annually. It hopes to repopulate the breed while reaching pork-hungry people around the globe who prefer the more flavorful meat. “We market most of our pork to Japan,” Goldenstein says. “Consumers there are most interested in taste. They tend to eat smaller portions than Americans, so they are less concerned with having a lean product and more interested in how their food tastes.”
 

All Berkshires are bred from one genetic nucleus, guaranteeing a consistent breed and quality. Berkshire meat is strong-flavored, tender and dark — desired by a growing number of consumers, Goldenstein says. U.S. and Canadian markets are showing more promise, so he wants Six Point Berkshire to increase production to 40,000 animals annually. “The market is there, but we will only grow more if we have secured the market.”
 

“They’ve exercised a tremendous amount of due diligence,” says Dennis Timmerman, AURI project director. “They’ve set up a detailed business plan that follows up on their market research. This will help them keep their production and the market demand in balance.”

BY DAN LEMKE
Though a decade ago the Berkshire hog was nearly extinct in the United States, it has a long and storied pedigree.

Legend has it, the breed was discovered by the British army at its winter quarters in England’s shire of Berks more than 300 years ago. Army veterans told of the remarkable hogs, larger than other swine, which produced hams and bacon of rare quality and flavor. It became favored by upper-class English farmers. Even the Royal Family kept a large Berkshire herd at Windsor Castle.
 

The original Berkshire was reddish or sandy colored, sometimes spotted. The sandy hair is still sometimes seen in the white areas of modern Berkshires. Later this basic stock was crossed with Siamese and Chinese breeds, resulting in the black-and-white color pattern we
see today. This is the only known outside blood that went into the Berkshire breed, which records say has been pure for the last 200 years.
 

It is believed Berkshires came to the United States in the early 1820s. They were quickly absorbed into the general hog population because they improved common stock.
 

In 1875, the American Berkshire Association, the first
swine registry, was created to safeguard the breed’s purity. Only hogs directly imported from established English herds, or traced directly back to imported Berkshires, are accepted for registration.
 

Berkshire meat is especially enjoyed by the Japanese who call it “kurobuta,” meaning “supreme black hog.” Berkshires’ high-quality meat is darker, tastier and contains more
marbling than most other types of pork.
 

Once out of favor with American pork producers because of smaller litter size and slower-growing characteristics, the Berkshire is rebounding due to its popularity in gourmet cuisine and a growing U.S. ethnic market.
Source: Oklahoma State University swine breed directory