Mountain Men : the organic hog farming operation

the organic hog farming operation

Eustace and Preston, who always claim to have a huge amount of work to do and not enough time to do it, travel miles by horse and spend all day boiling water to get enough salt to preserve one hog. and of course they are threatened by the owner of the magical salt water pond who supposedly wasn't expecting and didn't recognize them? This is after spending a day making a knife to slaughter the hog.

This was the most unintentionally funny crap I've seen in awhile. Seriously, who believes this stuff?







Re: the organic hog farming operation

But it's the best "preserve-n" salt there is. The more unbelievable part to all this is that somebody is going to trek out to Eustace's to buy meat that is not USDA inspected nor killed by someone with experience. Can Eustace sell meat that has not been inspected? I think that the mom and pop shops from decades ago had inspectors stop by to at least look at the facilities for cleanliness and that the refrigeration worked.

Re: the organic hog farming operation

Why is that unbelievable. People do that all time in Appalachia. Plus Eustace more than likely has a custom exempt.

And yes that preserving salt is that good. A heck of a lot better than any salt you can get in stores.

Re: the organic hog farming operation

I don't doubt that Eustace is well intentioned but I doubt I would want a cut of meat from a guy that is a first timer. He understands the basics of slaughter but that does not mean he is going to be good to the point where his product has no problems.

Re: the organic hog farming operation

According to North Carolina regulations, Conway CANNOT SELL meat from a pig slaughtered on his farm.


Farmers may slaughter animals of their own raising for use by themselves, their families, and nonpaying guests. Such meats may not be sold into commerce.


The only way he can sell meat he has raised is to register as a meat handler and his livestock must be slaughtered and packed at a facility which complies with all food health and safety regulations. He can sell that product.

The story line (as portrayed in that episode - raise, slaughter, cure, and sell the meat) would be, as far as I can tell, illegal.

http://www.ncagr.gov/meatpoultry/info.htm

Re: the organic hog farming operation

Eustace could probably start his own facility but most likely that would be cost prohibitive. My understanding is the Amish and Mennonites in the rural ares do their own processing for resale so it is not about having a massive packing plant. Just a matter of spending the money necessary to comply with state and federal regulations.

Re: the organic hog farming operation

Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't Conway want to raise the pig, slaughter the pig on his farm, cure the ham ,etc. in his smoke house and SELL the finished product at a farmer's market, a store on his property, where ever?

If so, a simple reading of the NC regs says he can't do that. Neither can the Amish,Mennonites, nor anyone else for that matter.

They must either become a regulated meat processing facility or use a regulated meat processing facility to process their livestock for them to SELL their meat products.

Conway goes on and on about "making this work", so what does that mean exactly?

Re: the organic hog farming operation

I thought my reply was clear on the Mennonites and Amish but I will rephrase. If either of those sell meat they do the necessary steps to be legal in the state they sell in. I never meant to imply they were doing what Eustace is doing but would guess that for the purpose of bartering with a neighbor that they forgo complying with the law. It is the same with milk production that facilities used to milk the cows and process the milk must meet all state and federal regulations. The Mennonites and Amish due to their religion are not exempt in any way. It is difficult to bypass this other than when you want to barter with the neighbor. It used to be that vegetable and fruit stands would work strictly cash and not report the income made. Nowadays the mom and pop stands have a register that all sales go through and it is for the purpose to insure taxes are collected. It's not impossible to bypass the state all though it limits you to people you closely know so as not to get blown into the state or federal authorities.

Re: the organic hog farming operation

The salt guy they visited has demonstrated the salt retrieval process at Conway's Turtle Island Preserve so he knows him well.

The salt guy (Jim Bordwine) lives 60 miles away from Conway which is at least a day and a half by horse. One way!

The salt guy is a Civil War reenactor and has a Internet presence as well as an email address. Why didn't Conway just email him and tell him that they would be there on a particular day?

http://m.swvatoday.com/news/smyth_county/article_f58cd524-2276-11e4-8348-0017a43b2370.html?mode=jqm

Re: the organic hog farming operation

What?? "Why didn't Conway just e-mail him"???

Do these guys LOOK like they have any type of device capable of sending an e-mail??

Re: the organic hog farming operation

someone mentioned Eustace has a website.

Tom on the other hand I don't think uses email or internet.
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