Honoring the American Guinea Hog

Rare livestock breeds are at a tipping point, and what we do at this juncture is important. Each individual animal, as well as the overall herd, holds unique genetic information. Once lost, those breeds can’t be recovered. One such breed is the American Guinea Hog, or Guinea Hog — a landrace breed native to the United States and uniquely suited to farmsteads and small landholders, with a deep connection to Southern history and culture.

When I called former Guinea Hog breeder Bill Biggers in August 2017, I told him I was writing a history of the breed. He asked, “The forest pig?” I had to remember that he’d sold Arthur, one of the 12 foundation hogs documented by the American Guinea Hog Association, many years ago. At that time, the name “American Guinea Hog” had yet to be conceived. Guinea Hogs had many other names prior to the foundation of the American Guinea Hog Association in 2006, including “African Guinea Hog” and “Guinea Forest