When a person first considers bringing pigs onto their farm enterprise, the most fun decision is “What Breed” of hog to raise.  There are the conventional breeds: Yorkshire, Hampshire, Landrace, etc.  Many small farmers opt to go with Heritage breed hogs (Berkshire, Glouchester Old Spot, Tamworth, etc.).  These are very fine breeds that did not fit well in confinement, so their numbers have dwindled – some nearly to extinction.  Small farmers are bringing many of these formally recognized breeds back into favor via niche marketing and conservation efforts through breed registries. 

Every breed of hog has been developed by years, decades, even centuries of selective breeding.  Pigs displaying desired traits were the ones retained for breeding, but those traits were based on the needs of the farmers in a given area.  There have been many breed lines of pigs developed by farmers that have not merited a breed registry.  Though the pigs may be very distinctive, their uses may be so specific to the region where they were developed that the pig was of little value elsewhere.  What I call the Southern Cross is one of the most distinctive regional breeds. 

These “red mulefooted wattled hogs” could once be found on farmsteads throughout Central Florida but are all but gone now.   Back in the free range days, farmers believed that a mule footed hog (lacking a cloven hoof) couldn’t be tracked by dogs, since the pigs do not possess the scent gland between the toes.  Therefore, farmers who had mulefoots did not have to worry about people stealing their hogs. 

The red hair of these hogs protects them from the damaging effects of the Florida sun and helps conceal the pigs from predators and hunters alike.  Hunters in Florida today still refer to them as the “illusive red hog” and consider them to be quite the prize.  Long ago farmers figured out that red hogs produce a darker and more marbled meat than the white hogs used in commercial production.  Since these pigs are so well adapted to the area, they are more efficient foragers than breeds that were developed in the Midwest that are more dependent upon large grains like corn and soy.  These hogs thrive just foraging on underbrush and acorns – and that means less GMO’s, less fuel to transport corn, and an all around more economical animal.

Over the years, farmers brought in outside stock to reinforce their breedlines.  Some farmers added Tamworths, others Red Wattles, and often these pigs would cross with wild pigs.  The result is a consistently red pig all purpose hog with upright ears, long legs, thick bacon, excellent fat cover, wattles, and mule feet.  They are as distinctive as any other breed that I’ve seen.  Their origins have not been recorded, but they share a rich history with the farmers of Central Florida.