ABOUT US

All piglets are free farrowed, No Crates allowed

A Red Wattle Piglet, enjoying a warm day in Spring!

Large Black Hogs piglets learning about snow!

Focusing on Non-Gmo naturally raised meat and produce, Cranky Carl’s Farm does not use any chemical fertilizers, weed control, or gmo feed.  “We feed only Non-Gmo Alfalfa, ground & sprouted barley” during the winter months, and try to have most of the animals out on pasture during the spring and summer months.  No Soy or corn of any kind is used in any feed.  “Our focus is on completely natural slow growth meats and naturally grown produce.”  All the animal manure is composted and recirculated back into the land.  Nothing goes to waist around the place.  Of course the garlic is extra spicey due to the natual Hog manure!

The garlic field in spring, “We love it when our Garlic sprouts,!” It means and end to our cold Montana Winters, and Spring is just around the corner”

“Harvesting the Garlic”

Cranky Carl’s focuses on excellent taste and humane farming practices, offering crate-free farrowing and free range chickens, hogs raised in large open pastures rather than pens, as an example. Either Carl or Gretchen assist every mother at farrowing time, day or night. Gretchen has spent many a night out laying in the straw with a new mother.  She says it make a mother calm having someone with them, especially new moms.    Gretchen feels this not only helps with mortality rate, but allows wonderful bonding between animal and farmer. Gretchen and Carl often wonder out to the pigs and sit in pasture with an after work tottie.  They love being with the large docile pigs, who insist on belly rubs and back scratches.

 “Back to the Pasture” is the main goal here,  keeping the animals on their natural diet of grass and other legumes result in the animals growing at a natural unforced pace.  Each pig takes up to a year to grow to butcher weight of 300 lbs, as compared to 4 to 6 months for production house pork at 250lbs.  The slow growth grazing offers the pigs a stress free life, and micro marbled meat, which results in better tasting as well as healthier meat.  In addition Grass fed pork has less total saturated fat, cholesterol, and calories. It also has more vitamin E, beta-carotene, vitamin C, and a number of health-promoting fats, including omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid.  The proof is in the taste, superb, succulent, micro marbled old world flavor, and often described as “beyond belief.”

Typical Pork Shoulder from one of our Large Black Hogs.

Heritage Hog Grass fed pork is actually Red in color

Typical Rib Steak off a Large Black Hog

Micro marbled pork that self bastes when cooking.

When health issues put beef on the no-dinner list, raising pork came to mind.  After much investigation on breeds and livestock options, Rare Heritage Pasture Hogs were chosen.   Large Black Hogs, known for their unusually large size, fantastic docile personalities, and unsurpassed tasting bacon  and Red Wattle Hogs, known for their bright red micro marble gourmet flavored pork were chosen.   They tell their customers to try the meat, saying “It’s the best pork you’ll ever have!”, and their customer call back and say, “You were right, I’ve never knew pork could taste so Good!”  They keep coming back for more.

Cranky Carls Farm offers a wide variety of heathly naturally raised food; farm fresh eggs, pork, berries, poulty, dairy and more to come as the farm grows.  They also welcome phone calls, (406) 291-1262 and farm visits if you can catch them, as  they are usually out doing what farmers do….….FARMING!

We are working towards getting all pigs on pasture.

Who is the Ugliest here?