08/28/2026
GENTLE REMINDER
We see a lot of social media posts putting operations that donāt have high breeding standards, high cull rates, and strict confirmation regulations down.
š·Do we agree with ābackyardā breeding purely for profit saturating the market with no regulation. No, of course not.
š·Do we agree with sales of unregistered pigs? Absolutely not.
š·Do we agree with egregious sales that promote the unhealthy sale of ābreedersā that shouldnāt be breeders? No.
š·Do we put others down privately or publicly to make a point? Never.
Every big operation is different!
šAnd I WILL say that for the others in the back!š
We have evaluations for our piglets, we adhere to them and have a āmeatie herdā for those who donāt meet OUR standard of what should be bred. There are operations that hold higher guidelines for their piglets, and some that hold lower guidelines for piglets.
Preferences like flat faces, teat lines, strong feet, movement, ear setting, ham development, etc are all over the board, even among those ābig namesā. I see a WIDE variety of ābreeding qualityā pigs being offered for sale daily from common names.
It does not mean one is better than the other, it does not mean we are all out here willingly contributing to the āover saturatedā market of KuneKune. It shows everyoneās goals and personal preferences are different.
But, it also is distasteful to publically put others down, even if itās a snarky post with passive aggressive āhumorā.
Please.
Be mindful of what you put out into the world.
Be mindful of how you treat others.
Be mindful of how you portray your ābusinessā.
It all matters.
And it should matter.
There are farms that we would love to acquire a future breeder from, that we will now not do business with because of how they have shown their morals and public communications. And itās unfortunate.
Be kind. Help bring others into the circle of education. Show kindness and empathy. Educate without shame.
Most small family farms cannot afford $1,200+ per pig, and also be able to sacrifice their return on investment for a few years. That shouldnāt be the secret to starting out and feeling accepted, but a goal to work towards.
At the end of the day theyāre pigs, and real people with hearts and feelings. Be the person you needed when you started.
