HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1993-03-17, Page 29DUNBAR, & COOK
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FARMING '93, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 1993. A9.
European Wild Boar carcasses sell for $500
Marching on
When Wayne Straughan approaches this remote field on his Auburn-area farm, this is the
sight that awaits him as his herd of European Wild Boar race in formation to greet him.
Though they are wild animals, they know the sound of the tractor means food.
bison meat. Other meats make them
physically ill.
Believing in the quality of the
meat, the Straughans are sure there
is a good market for wild boar.
They've already had calls from per-
sons interested in purchasing the
meat.
The couple plans to sell their
product through Jana Natural
Foods, a health-food store in
Goderich which they own.
Once Mr. Straughan sells his first
batch of boarlets, he plans to
enlarge his herd to approximately
30 sows.
Continued from page A8
three boarlets a year, approximately
three and a half months after breed-
ing season, which generally lasts
from October to January.
The boarlets take nearly 18
months (depending on food supply)
to reach their shipping weight of
80-110 pounds.
Compared to domestic hogs, wild
boars' litters are small and mature
slowly, but their meat is far more
valuable.
Mr. Straughan expects to earn
$475 to $500 per carcass. As breed-
ing stock, sows sell for approxi-
mately $900 while boars can earn
up to $1200.
Besides the profit margin differ-
ential, wild boars are significantly
cheaper to raise, says Mr. Straugh-
an.
"There isn't much by way of vet
bills because the boar's immune
system is far superior than a pig's,"
he says. "As well, boar's feed con-
version is better than swine. They'll
gain twice as much from a pound
of grain than will a pig."
Moreover, Mr. Straughan's profit
is gained with far less man-hours
than a swine operator who may
spend several hours a day in the
barn. Mr. Straughan's spends less
than an hour a day looking after his
animals.
However, feeding time can he
hazardous for the unwary farmer,
reveals Mr. Straughan. Though he
isn't afraid to venture into the boar
field any other time, at feeding time
he stays clear.
The frenzied animals have sharp
tusks which can render a nasty
scrape. The boars have also been
known to eat other animals, says
Mr. Straughan.
He once saw the remains of a
rabbit in the field and believes his
herd has chased down and eaten a
roving dog. Bones and all are eaten
by the ravaging beasts. Once, a
bison-farming friend of Mr.
Straughan disposed of a dead bison
in the wild boar field and all was
eaten, except for the large pelvic
bones of the beast.
Given their varied diet, boars
have a completely different meat
than swine, says Mr. Straughan.
'The meat is red and it's very
lean," he explains. "It doesn't have
a lot of fat, cholesterol and is very
high in protein."
He says wild boar meat is better
for humans because our bodies
assimilate it better than traditional
varieties of meat.
"Pork and beef aren't broken
down as easily by the body as boar
meat," he says.
Though the Straughans are vege-
tarians, they do eat wild boar and