AMBA’s mission: protect & preserve the American Mulefoot Hog.
About American Mulefoot Breeders Association, Inc.
Heritage Swine Guide: Pig Breeding
Please hit the link below to access the article: “SELECTING BREEDING STOCK FOR HERITAGE HOGS”
By: Mark Knauer, North Carolina State University and Alison Martin, The Livestock Conservancy
https://livestockconservancy.org/heritage-swine/heritage-swine-guide/pig-breeding/breeding-for-productivity/selecting-breeding-stock-for-heritage-hogs/
John MacKenzie’s Gestation Calculator
Thank you to GestationCalculator website and John MacKenzie for permission to share his website. Click the website link to be redirected to John’s site to use the interactive calculator.
This is a quick way to plan for farrowing. Enter the first date the gilt/sow was bred and you will see the expected farrow date. It is good practice to make note of the heat cycles and breeding days so that you can be prepared (not surprised) for the new litter of piglets and any veterinary emergencies.
Gestation Table by National Swine Registry
National Swine Registry’s Swine Gestation Table.
Please click the link below to open a printable pdf table.
https://nationalswine.com/resources/docs/Swine-Gestation-Table.pdf
About Dr. Juan Steibel at Iowa SU
Dr. Juan Steibel at Iowa State University
Kicking off the DNA Project has been a long term goal, and we think Dr. Steibel will help us get there!
Breeder brags, pig tails and shout outs
Marketing
What to sell, where to sell, and how to find your markets.
Events, markets, fairs
That one thing that proves to your customers that Mulefoot pork is not "just another white meat" ... it is anything butt.
Connections
Sometimes you just have to sit back and enjoy the rain ... or the hose water. Shared connections, impromptu meet-ups, and spreading the knowledge within the AMBA family ...
Silcott Springs Farm
It took some digging, but we found an article in the “Marketplace Spotlight” of London County, Virginia,
for our own Sam and Teresa Grant, and Sadie, of Silcott Springs Farm, Purcellville, Virginia.
“Silcott Springs Farm, located just outside of Purcellville, Va.,
raises Angus cattle and laying hens alongside Mulefoot hogs,
which won the 2009 Pig Pageant, a blind test among 90 food professionals
to determine the most flavorful heritage breed of pork.’‘
Mark Armentrout, Marketing & Communications Manager,
London County Economic Development gave us permission to repost/share.
https://loudounfarms.org/silcott-springs-farm/
hog calls - or shout outs
High on the Hog
Congratulations to Nathan Randall of Bath, New York for continued success in the Show Ring!
His first success was with a stunning purebred, registered gilt, Emma, in 2018, bringing home the Blue Ribbon.
This year was no surprise for Nate's Mulefoot Pig Farm, as Ace, (Emma and Midnight's first boar pig), was awarded Grand Champion Boar! Congratulations, Nate and way to go, Ace! Steuben County Fair in New York certainly knew a show stopper when Ace rolled up!
Any that show know that it isn't just the luck of the draw in competition, but a lot of hard work starting with making sure your animals are bred and farrowed to the right age at the time of competition registration, Then, there's getting the momma and pigs through winter (which in New York, I am assuming is no easy task). And then into show condition.
Nate is the winner in my book, for sure! Congratulations again!
Let Us Know
Feel free to send your notes of importance and inspiration in your world of American Mulefoot Hogs and the AMBA family to us to share.
Send photos and information to mulefootregistry@gmail.com, with Hog Calls or Shout Out in the subject line. Include contact information. Thanks!
COVID AWARENESS & LINKS TO HELP
A Note From The Livestock Conservancy
To our members, friends, family and community,
During this uncertain time we want to reach out to you with a quick update about The Livestock Conservancy’s COVID-19 response and a reminder that we are all in this together. We recognize the considerable weight placed upon our farmers and other essential personnel during this time. You are our most important partners for rare breed conservation and we want to support the work you are doing to help our country in this time of need.
We remain dedicated to protecting endangered livestock and poultry breeds from extinction, even during this pandemic. Our operations are continuing as normally as possible as we follow the ever-changing guidelines of our state and country to keep everyone safe.
Below are some helpful links for farmers and consumers as we navigate our changing future:
Buying and Selling Local Meat and Products
- Where to buy local map in NC and SC: https://www.carolinafarmstewards.org/on-farm-pickups/
- Heritage Breed Marketplace: https://heritagebreedmarketplace.com/
- Heritage Breeders and Products Directory: https://livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/breeders-directory
- USDA list of farmers markets across the US: https://www.ams.usda.gov/local-food-directories/farmersmarkets
- Farmers Market Coalition: https://farmersmarketcoalition.org/farmers-markets-covid19/
- Direct Sales Software Platforms list from the Young Farmers Coalition: https://livestockconservancy.org/images/uploads/docs/Farm-direct-sales-software.pdf
- Meredith Lee’s resource list for consumers and farmers: http://www.mereleighfood.com/accessing-local-meat-during-covid19-and-beyond
- Food Animal Concerns Trust Local Vendor Directory: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57d30c09893fc08d22e87aaf/t/5e8f31f7408bde73997b5c26/1586442764007/Food-Vendor-Directory.pdf
- Niche Meat Processing: https://www.nichemeatprocessing.org/
- Fiber Artists Market: https://fiberartistmarket.com/
Webinars and Online Learning Opportunities
- Food Animal Concerns Trust Webinars: https://foodanimalconcernstrust.org/webinars
- Cornell Small Farms Classes: https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/online-courses/
- 2020 Piedmont Regional Goat & Sheep Conference Webinar Series: First Aid & Lambing/Kidding on YouTube https://youtu.be/40VUTaQTlto, for handouts and presentation use this Google folder
Emergency Resources, Grants and Relief Funds
- The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) ATTRA program has resources for farmers, ranchers, market gardeners, extension agents, researchers, educators, farm organizations and others affected by the pandemic. www.Attra.ncat.org/topics
- Carolina Farm Stewardship Association posted an article about COVID-19 Relief Funds Available to Farmers Starting April 3: https://www.carolinafarmstewards.org/covid-19-relief-funds-available-to-farmers-starting-apr-3/
- RAFI-USA will be issuing emergency mini-grants to North Carolina farmers impacted by COVID-19: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdCiknAA89yeGNwCd1WBjIVTHk01yVQiJ5wMCKCGKpdaO0esg/viewform
- American Farmland Trust Farmer Relief Fund: https://farmland.org/farmer-relief-fund/
- Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT) has a new mini-grant program for livestock and poultry producers: https://foodanimalconcernstrust.org/minigrants
- CARES Act Emergency Resources for Farm Businesses Paycheck Protection Loan Program: https://www.uschamber.com/co/run/business-financing/coronavirus-emergency-loans
- Food Animal Concerns Trust Mini Grants: https://foodanimalconcernstrust.org/minigrants
- Bricmont Hardship Assistance Fund: https://www.ccof.org/ccof-foundation/bricmont-hardship-assistance-fund
To support Livestock Conservancy farmers and members, donate to our Emergency
Species Specific Resources
- National Hog Farmer: https://www.nationalhogfarmer.com/business/managing-markets-farm-business-during-covid-19
- Center for Dairy Excellence: https://www.centerfordairyexcellence.org/covid-19-farm-resources/
American Horse Council: https://www.horsecouncil.org/covid-19-resouces/ - Shearing Operations - Protocols in response to COVID-19: https://c8e3i7k7.stackpathcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/2020-COVID-19-SHEARING-OPERATIONS-PROTOCOLS-IN-RESPONSE-TO-COVID-19-FROM-WESTERN-AUSTRALIA-MARCH-27.pdf
Other Helpful Resources
- NC State Extension resources for farmers and consumers: https://foodsafety.ces.ncsu.edu/covid-19-resources/
- Carolina Farm Stewards resources for consumers and farmers: https://www.carolinafarmstewards.org/coronavirus-resources/
- Cornell Small Farms Program: https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/
- Farmer Veteran Coalition: https://farmvetco.org/
National Resources
- USDA: https://www.usda.gov/coronavirus
- USDA Farmers.Gov: https://www.farmers.gov/coronavirus
- CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: https://www.hhs.gov/
- U.S. Small Business Administration: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USSBA/bulletins/280e196
State Resources
- Check your state’s Department of Agriculture website.
COVID-19 and Animals
- CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html#anchor_1584390773118
- AVMA: https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/animal-health-and-welfare/covid-19
- World Organization for Animal Health: https://www.oie.int/en/scientific-expertise/specific-information-and-recommendations/questions-and-answers-on-2019novel-coronavirus/
- International Livestock Research Institute: https://www.ilri.org/zoonoses
Schedules are continually changing. Before attending an upcoming event, please check our calendar page and with event organizers for the most current information, including cancellations, re-scheduling, news and updates.
We are still available by phone, email and social media, if you need to contact us. We hope you will reach out with questions or comments about how we can continue to support you during this time.
Thank you for being a valued part of The Livestock Conservancy community. We hope you will continue to stay safe, healthy and well.
From the Chairman
Due to the Kansas temporary stay at home order, Registry is limited to one person processing memberships and registrations. Delays are inevitable, but we are working through every envelope and email as quickly as humanly possible.
The main "office" of AMBA is working on catching up business, but still running a bit behind.
Thank you for your patience. Stay safe and much success.
Gracie Cardwell
2/15/22
FROM REGISTRY (AMBA's Herd Book Registry Staff:):
Thank you for your understanding during our stay at home order. It was greatly appreciated.
Just letting you know as of Monday, May 4th our staff is back in the office full time as our stay at home order has been lifted for our type of business. We are working to catch up on work before we get into the busiest time of the year.
We were able to stay without a week of time in our office on error-free registry work.
People who submitted work that contained errors we just did not have the resources to get them called during the stay at home order. We are working to resolve these now since we have more than one person in the office.
Please, if you have the ability to remind breeders to double check their work before submitting it, it would be greatly appreciated. Around 30% of all work received contains errors. Missing tag numbers, birthdates, wrong amount of payment, transfer information missing, are just some examples of what is in error.
I will be working to catch up on emails that have been received that I just did not have the time to answer.
Again, thank you for your patience and understanding during these interesting times we all are facing.
Jeff Ebert
AMBA's Registry