Era of the SOUTHERN HOG
I get frequent emails from new Guinea Hog breeders wanting to know where they can find information about the breed. Up until now, they really couldn’t. I saw the need for this information because I needed it myself.
The Guinea Hog is a rare heritage livestock breed. It’s much smaller than those raised for commercial production, but it’s still a productive working breed that’s livestock, not a pet.
There was a time when North America produced hundreds of varieties of apples, squash, and tomatoes. Many families and communities had a variety that they passed down through saved seeds year after year. Likewise, there was a wide variety of livestock breeds, each adapted to a local community.
Like climate change, rare breeds such as the Guinea Hog are at a tipping point that can go either way. What we do at this juncture in time is important. Individual breeders make the decisions, with the needs of the specific breed in mind. Each individual animal, as well as the overall herd, holds unique genetic information. Once lost, it can’t be recovered. Additionally, The American Guinea Hog Association registers hogs to preserve the breed (www.GuineaHogs.org).
When I discovered that there were no books written about the American Guinea Hog, it seemed natural to learn as much as I could about the breed’s history. I tracked down every lead and asked question after question. One interview led to another.
The following stories illustrate how valuable the Guinea
