180. Slow-Grown, Flavor-First: The Mangalitsa Difference with Natalie Hancock
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: So we will
get started with the fast five.
First question, what's your name?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
My name is Natalie Hancock.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: And
Natalie, what's your farm's name
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
My farm's name is Olde Oak Glen
, cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: you located?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
we're located in Trium, Oklahoma.
It's a, you know, Perkins Tryon area.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yes.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Just south is Stillwater.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222:
And what livestock species
do you graze on your farm?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
So I graze the Mangalitsa It's a
heritage breed of pig that originates
from Hungary in Eastern Europe.
That is the, that is the animal we graze.
We do have some dairy cattle that we,
that I graze and also use them for
milk, but primarily it's the mangalitsa.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yes.
And what year did you
start grazing livestock?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
So we started with the livestock
and it just happened that we
ended up raising them this way.
I believe it was 20 18 20 19.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yeah.
Cal: Welcome to the grazing grass podcast.
The podcast dedicated to sharing
the stories of grass-based
livestock producers, exploring
regenerative practices that improve
the land animals and our lives.
I'm your host, Cal Hardage and each
week we'll dive into the journeys,
challenges, and successes of
producers like you, learning from
their experiences, and inspiring
each other to grow, and graze better.
Whether you're a seasoned
grazier or just getting started.
This is the place for you.
Ranchers, farmers and landowners,
if you're looking to optimize your
grazing operation and boost your bottom
line, Noble Research Institute can
help the noble approach to education
pairs their own infield research
with the expertise of branch managers
and advisors to find practical
solutions to your unique challenges.
In July, Noble's in-person
courses will head into new areas.
Join them in Pendleton, Oregon,
July 30th through 31st for Noble
Profitability Essentials, and
the expansion doesn't stop there.
Later this year they'll be in
Winter Garden, Florida with
business of Grazing Right now.
This two day course is $50 off the
regular price, and this pricing
is available for a limited time.
So take advantage of the
savings and visit noble.org
to learn more about the
courses and enroll today.
For 10 seconds about the farm, it
is hay season in northeast Oklahoma.
Seems like every pasture has hay
on the ground, or they're cutting
grass, or they're wrapping it up.
It happened really quickly.
For 10 seconds about the podcast, we
have some really good episodes coming up.
We're gonna be talking more about
non-selective grazing in the coming weeks,
so you will wanna check back next week.
With that said, let's get back to Natalie.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: So when we jumped
back to 2018, what caused you to get pigs?
Did you already have a interest in it?
Did you grow up around it?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
So I did not, I'm actually from Greece.
I grew up around sheep and goats.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh, yes.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
We lived on a mountain and they used to
walk the sheep on the streets back then.
That's what I grew up with.
I had never really grown up with any pigs.
I have a love for horses, so my
goal was always to have horses.
So when we moved out to the
farm, that was my first purchase.
And I happened to run into a
potbelly pig that needed a home.
He was very old and we took him in
and I just loved his personality.
So then my, my love
for pigs began to grow.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yes.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
so they're one of my favorite animals.
They're very smart,
intelligent troublemakers.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah.
So what endured pigs to you?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
I like their personality.
They're kind of spunky, they're funny.
It's not for everybody.
I just love the way they, they look at you
and they talk to you and they communicate
the babies free range on our place.
And so they can get out of the,
the main pen, which is 60 acres
and they'll come and follow me
around and talk to me, and it's
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yes.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221: a
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
I mean, it has its, it has its moments.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh, I, every,
every farm does, every livestock.
Species does.
So, yeah.
When you, so you got that, you got
that first potbelly pig and you, you
enjoyed pigs, but what made you take
that next step to start selling meat?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Well, so we ran, my friend, is kind
of strange, but my friend bought
a Great Pyrenees from a gentleman
south that had some mangalitsa and
she called me and told me I should
really take a look at these pigs.
They're adorable.
And so I began researching them.
And I really liked what I was reading
and about their meat because I really,
I'm more quality versus quantity.
mangalitsa is more of a quality meat.
You're not gonna get a ton of meat
from it for the amount of work you put
into it, but the flavor is amazing.
And then I read some about
their personality and my
personality kind of fit with them.
They like to be, they're not a sty pig.
You don't wanna raise
them in a close area.
They like to free range then
they're almost like a puppy dog.
Once they
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
so anyhow, so we went and got, went
and looked at them and we bought three
and we began to raise them
and then we bought some more
and then we bought more
and then it was end of story.
We ended up RA having a so many that we
needed to profiting from the farm as well.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
And that was, so then we
started selling the meat.
It, it took us a long time though.
It took us about oh six years
before we could develop a herd
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yes.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
manza.
They are a slow growers.
So, they take 18 months to
grow out to begin with, and
they also have small litters.
So the average litter is
about four to eight piglets.
I mean, eight would be a high number.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Okay.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Only once in my life have I had a litter
of 12, and I don't know what happened,
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh, yes.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221: the
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
pig has a larger litter.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah.
So you mentioned Mag trying to get it
pronounced correctly, that they came
from Hungary and I have not, I don't
know that I've seen any in person.
I've seen some, some photos of them.
I've heard some people talk
about, I've heard some people
say they have the best pork.
So can you tell us just a
little bit more about the breed?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
sure.
So they were bred back in the 18 hundreds
for the Austria Hungarian Empire.
They were bred for the monarchy.
They were bred special.
They also have a very different
nutrient density than most pork.
It's the way they were bred.
They were bred with a Serbian
pig and a wild pig together.
And that's where it took off.
And they were very popular
because it is a lard breed.
And back in those days, they
use lard for everything.
But then they became they almost went
extinct, I believe, in the nineties.
There was maybe 200 left in Hungary.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yes.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
And then with some effort with
natives from there, they began to
breed them and expand their herds.
'Cause they were gonna die off.
There were just, was not a, a breed that
they needed anymore 'cause of the lard.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Right everybody.
Or the move towards
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221: the
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: more lean
pork production.
Breathe industrial Yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
fast growth.
Fast growth mini, big litter,
just more quantity over quality.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah.
So how big are your sows and boars?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
So my sows I have some sows that
are about five to 600 pounds.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh, okay.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221: My
boars are easily about five to 600 pounds.
When we butcher them at 18 months, the
pig is approximately 250 to 300 pounds,
so they are very slow and growing
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yes.
So when they, so what age do you
breed 'em for their first litter?
I.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
After a year.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: After a year.
Yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Yeah,
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: So,
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Then the boys are ready from
about, you know, three months, but
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: well,
yeah.
Yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
are not.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: So in
addition to their size, they're
lard breed, slow growing.
You mentioned the smaller litter sizes.
I think you also mentioned
their disposition some.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Mm-hmm.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: How are they
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221: So
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: with you?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
with me.
They're great.
So I've heard different
stories from other farmers.
I love them.
They have a, to me, they
have a fun personality.
They like their belly rubs.
They're like a dog.
They follow
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
but I also hand feed my picks.
So I do bucket feed and I'm always
out there with them, so I'm not just
putting them somewhere in a corner.
And,
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: oh
yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Just free feeding them.
So they're used to me.
The the ones that don't get to
play with a lot or touch those
can be a little standoffish.
But I've, from other farmers, if
I've heard, they're kind of, they're
a very, they're very smart pig.
They're known as escape artists.
If you don't give them a lot of land to
run in, they will make their own land.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yes.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
But they are, they're very friendly.
They're very sweet.
I've heard things about some
of the boars being mean, but
I've never had that problem.
All my
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
are giant babies.
You can raise them with
the mom and the kids.
In fact, they're probably nicer
to the, to the young ones than
those some of the mamas are.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Are they
a good mothering breed as a rule?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221: Yes,
as long as you let them do their thing.
I, so my, my biggest thing is I kind
of just let them do their own thing.
So they will go out into the forest
and they will have their babies.
They will farrow, and they will, usually
what happens is they go out, they
will disappear for two, three days.
I'll find them.
So I'll know where they are.
But, usually in order not to kind of
sit on their babies the first couple
days, they don't move very much.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
And then about the third, fourth
day, then they'll bring the babies
up to the farm for me to see.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: And the babies,
the coloration, they have those horizontal
s stripes on them, if I recall correctly.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
The chipmunks for stripes.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222:
Oh, the chipmunk stripes.
Yeah, that's a good way to describe it.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
they're really cute.
They lose the stripes in about
probably like eight weeks.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Okay.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
well, their hair grows in, but yeah,
they're really cute when they're babies.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: They are, they
as a breed, are there just one color?
There's multiple colors of them.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
There's three different colors.
There's a swallow belly,
which I have those.
They're
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh,
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
with a tummy.
And then we have the blondes,
which are completely blonde.
I have those also.
Mine look red because of the red dirt.
But
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: oh yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
they sit in the rain for a while.
They're.
Snow White.
And then there's also the reds
and those, I don't have, I think
I have one that's part red, but I
haven't gotten into the reds yet.
There used to be an all black one,
but I guess that went extinct.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yes.
And they have longer hair, correct?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
They do.
It's it's very
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: I.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221: It's
very when they're young, it's very soft.
It's curly.
It looks like they have like,
bernedoodle hair when they're young.
It's, it's curly, it's soft.
Sometimes it's coarse.
It kind of depends on the pig and what
they're doing in the mud or whatnot.
It's very pretty.
I like it.
I always, I joke around because they
are cousins to the Spanish Iberico.
I don't know if you know anything
about the Spanish iberico.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222:
I don't right off.
No.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
They're, so, there's, they're one of the
premium pigs that they raise in Spain.
They're considered one of the best
meat with the menza, but they're
cousins and I always joke, 'cause
the, my pigs shut out about once a
year and they look more like ibericos.
Then
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh
yes.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
their hair in and they
look like mangalitsas.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: But with the,
with your pigs and getting them, you
mentioned earlier it took you about
six years to get to that point where
you were breeding them and stuff.
How soon after getting them did you start
marketing them and selling the pork?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221: So
about, I guess, so we started off just
selling holes and halves to begin with
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yes.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
to our friends because we didn't
have enough to actually market,
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: right.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Because you do need quite a, like
right now I have a probably about 140.
And you need them at
different life stages.
So you had, you do have to plan for
them because they don't grow very fast.
So at first we started with holes
and halves, and then once we build
up the herd, we started marketing.
We entered the Edmond Farmers Market
and that really helped us get going.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yeah.
Yeah.
And I, you said this earlier, but
you, you process 'em about 18 months.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Mm-hmm.
That's the
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221: I I,
if I can go longer, I will, I would rather
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh,
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
them in two years.
Three years is amazing.
Me, it's just, it take
that's a very long time
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: oh,
yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221: get
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah.
You, you gotta try and optimize
that production while getting the
flavor that you want out of it.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Right.
Because it, it's not like a cow.
I mean, I'm, I'm green feeding them.
Also, 'cause you can't
just pasture raise a pig.
I mean,
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Right.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
but not a hundred percent.
So that's three years of feed.
So if I can get them to the 18 month
point where they need to be, then
that's what we, that's, that's my goal.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Okay.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
make sense what I said?
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah, so,
so 18 months is your target, and
that's kind of where you feel like
the flavor versus the cost is best.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Mm-hmm.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: like to go
longer because it improves the flavor, but
you've got all the cost to add into it,
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Correct.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Yeah.
So at at 18 months they
have good marbling.
They're a good size where you'll
get a nice looking pork chop.
And it'll be marbled in between.
Anything younger, you, you're
losing some of that marbling and the
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
different.
At three years there.
They're like 400 pounds and, and marbled.
But we've, we've had some like that.
And they're, it's amazing,
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: So I, I know you
got these and you love the personality.
Have you thought about other breeds
or you feel like the, the pork quality
is so much that this is the breed?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
in my opinion, the pork quality for me.
Is this it just doesn't compare.
They have a flavor unlike most
pork, which are kind of bland, and
you put a bunch of sauce on there.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh, yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221: But
these guys have a very good fa flavor.
They're almost like a beefy flavor.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yes.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
hard to tell on a roast,
whether it's beef or pork.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yes.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
So there's that.
And then I don't wanna start
mixing them once you start.
the breeds, it does change their
fat content and their taste.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
So I try, so I don't wanna bring
another breed in then have to
somehow, I'm not that organized.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: So I haven't
tried mangalitsa's pork before and we
were just in Oklahoma City this weekend.
I wish we'd ran up to Edmond and
got some so I could have tried it.
'cause I've heard good things.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
it's amazing.
I mean, I, I think it's the
way pork should taste like.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
But, but it's not a high yield pig,
so it's never gonna be in, in Walmart.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh, right.
Yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
it's a specialty pig and it, it is,
it does cost a lot more to, to raise.
So
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Right.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
was a smart decision or not,
I'm not sure, but I mean it now.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah.
Well, I just had a conversation
with someone about quality
over quantity earlier, so this
just fits right into that.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Yeah,
when I come, I come from Greece
and when I was little, the meats
and stuff were just very tasty.
was more it, we didn't have supermarkets,
so it was more quality versus quantity.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
and so I'm kind of used to that
and I like the good, the flavor.
So to me that's very important.
It's, it's not for everybody.
I can't sell you a 12 pound butt.
Necessarily, like you can
find it at Sam's, but,
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Y.
Yeah,
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
But mine will taste excellent.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: I know on
your Google reviews people talk about
how good it tastes, how great it is.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Mm-hmm.
It's all about the flavor.
The bacon scares a lot of my customers.
It's very fatty.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh, yes.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
But to me, I, it's just a
different flavor of bacon.
It's very good and you
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: I.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
the fat is amazing in this pig.
The reason it's famous is because it's
known for the fat being higher in omega
threes than omega sixes in ratios.
They say it's similar to salmon, so like
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yes.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
health wise, and it also is
full of mostly monounsaturated.
So similar to olive oil.
So it's actually good for you and
you can see it when you, when you
cook with it because it just kind of,
the way it renders and feels, it's
a very light fat, it doesn't stick
to your palate, if that makes sense.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh
yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221: It's
not a chewy fat, it's going to kind of
just dissolve in your mouth like butter.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh, yes.
Yeah, and I'll, that's appealing because
I don't like the taste of, I don't
like that fat or that chewiness to fat.
I, I'll pass on that.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Either do I, but this fat is different.
I mean, you want, you
want to eat this fat.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh, yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
very rich, but it is it's amazing
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: And,
and we haven't said this, but
people can buy the cuts there.
You go to a farmer's market
in addition to the meat.
Do you do anything else with the pigs?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221: I
do, I actually, it is a lard pig, so every
time I butcher, I get about 30 pounds of.
So I do make moisturizer out of it.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh, yes.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221: So
similar to tallow, except it's the lard.
But the men has been used
for time as a cosmetic lard.
It's very good.
It's very healing.
I have a friend that has
a terrible skin problem.
And she has a very hard time
healing once she gets these sores.
And she uses this to actually
her sores and cure them.
It actually heals it.
I think it's the vitamin.
Mostly.
It's very high in vitamin E.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yes.
Y you mentioned there, you get 30
pounds of lard or about that whenever
you take a, a pig in to be processed.
How much is 30 pounds of, of lard?
Is that a five gallon bucket?
Is that a gallon can?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
No, it's probably about
two five gallon buckets.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh, yes.
Oh, okay.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
I mean, it's quite a bit.
And I also always ask for the
leaf lard, which is the lard
in the interior of the stomach.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yes.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
That's the best lard.
It's just, it's very clean very white
when it renders, it's, it's very light.
So I get at least 10 pounds of that too,
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh,
okay.
So
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
more.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: yeah.
So when you take it to the
processor, they're saving that
large for you, is that something.
And this shows my
ignorance on the subject.
Is that something every processor will do?
Or if you're wanting to save that large,
you've gotta talk to your processor
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221: So
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: and
make sure they're willing to
do it.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221: will
all do it, but you do have to ask for it.
If you
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh, okay.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
for it, they will throw it away.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh, okay.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
then if you don't ask for the leaf
lard, some of them will just throw it or
they'll combine it with your back fat.
So I always ask for my leaf
lard to be separate from my back
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah,
you don't want 'em mixed.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Right?
Because the leaf L is
excellent for pastries.
It doesn't have a smell to it.
It's, it's what you wanna use for baking.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh, okay.
So you use that internal lard
for baking and then you're using
the other lard for your skincare.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Mm-hmm.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah.
And how do you get that ready from the
large you you get from a processor?
How do you get it ready for a consumer?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Well, so I don't have a kitchen, so I
can't sell rendered lard to anybody.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
can make products out of it.
I do sell the lard if they wanna take
it home and render it themselves.
I do render my own lard to
make the skincare out of.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: When you
say render, what do you mean by that?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Yeah, so that is, I dry render.
So I take the fat and I
put it in a container.
I chop it up into small pieces and
then put it in about 200 degrees and
I slowly let the fat juices melt.
And you're left with just basically a.
The one, the things that don't
melt in your, all your other lard
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
melted into an oil.
And then you take that and you
filter it and you can bottle it up.
And
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh, okay.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
in my freezer or my fridge.
lasts a long time.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yeah.
And so then you're
using that rendered lard
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Mm-hmm.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222:
your products you make.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
I do, I do waste a little bit because
I like my lard not to smell piggy.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh, yes.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
So if you let your large cook too
long or cook too high of heat,
it's going to lightly boil it
and it's going to have a scent.
So I usually only cook it until
it's just now starting to dry.
Like it doesn't get yellow, it's
still white, and then I filter it.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: If, if someone's
doing it and it gets it too hot, and
there's no way to come back from that.
If you've done that, you're just kind of
there
then.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
You boiled it?
Yeah.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah.
A very good, very interesting.
Do you on your grain?
Are you feeding any special grains?
I mean like are you organic or
non GMO or soy free or corn?
Corn free.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
I am soy free and corn free.
So what I try to do is soy
and corn do affect the fat
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh, okay.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
and what you end up with and the
way the fat feels and tastes.
So I, I don't use corn and I don't like
using soy on my farm because I, I can
smell the difference, if that makes sense.
You can smell when you, they eat soy
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh
yes.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
and and I'm, I don't, I'm not really,
I don't really care for it too much,
but I do have to feed my pigs even
though they free range on 60 acres.
I still have to feed
them 'cause they're pigs.
So I buy a fresh alpha
Alpha that's non GMO
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh, okay.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
from a family in McLeod that's
been raising alfalfa for years.
We buy these, buy these three by
three by eight bales and I throw one
over and just let them munch on it.
They also eat hay not a lot, but
they will go and munch on some hay
where the cows are and horses are.
And then I feed grain.
What I've, it's very difficult
in Oklahoma, at least it has
been for me to find barley or
peanuts or something like that.
Ours comes in a pellet and and then I
feed them also a sunflower meal, and
I find that that combination is, has,
has worked their meat really well.
I think
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh, okay.
So, wheat meal, mids,
pellets, and then Sunflower
What was that you said
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Mm-hmm.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: sunflower
meal?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
So I feed about 10% sunflower meal on
their ration, on their green ration.
It's mostly the middlings
and then the sunflower meal.
And then I give them as much
as alfalfa as they'll eat.
So that's the feed they usually get.
And then
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Uh
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
can find on the property if I have
chickens with that are laying eggs,
any of the extra eggs go to them.
love eggs.
I'm not milking currently, but
when I was milking, we would
give them the extra milk also.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: oh.
Yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
And the only other thing that's really
important for them is their minerals.
So I do give them minerals.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: So
for your, your feed, you're not
buying a mixed ration somewhere.
You're buying these
specific items, hinting.
You're giving
them so much of 'em.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
there's a company called Livestock
Nutrition that I buy my feed from and.
far they've told me most of
everything is non GMO that they sell.
It just happens to not be
I'm not certified non GMO
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yeah.
I.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
for it organic.
But it's, it's worked out pretty well.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah.
And then you mentioned minerals.
What minerals do you feed?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
So I've been, I feed Redmond,
conditioner and some garlic salt
to them, especially in the summer.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222:
The Red Redmond conditioner?
Um, what what do you
feel that does for you?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
They say, so I didn't start feeding
that till recently actually.
Just because I was worried about
them not getting enough minerals.
I feel that when they free range, they
do get most of their minerals because
they're constantly digging in the dirt.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
for a long time I didn't, but recently
I've had a lot of moms reproduce.
So I've been giving them
minerals just in case.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yeah.
Yeah.
Two, to get ready for farrowing.
You mentioned this earlier.
They will disappear for a day or two,
then they'll bring back their piglets.
Do you do anything out in the
pasture to get 'em ready for.
Farrowing and what I'm thinking about,
I know some people put hay bales out
there so they can build their nest.
Do you do something for them
to select their spot in Farrow?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
So I do have hay bales out there
for them, and I do have actually a
cupboard area where they could go
in and farrow if they wanted to.
And that has hay as bedding.
The problem with the hay I find is
you lose more piglets in the hay.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh, yes.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221: If
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: I.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
it too high, they tend to
end up sitting on them.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Most of the accidents happen in the hay.
Other than that, most of the ladies will
go out and they will make their own nest.
They'll go pick up their sticks
and stuff and make their own little
pad the way they like it and first.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah.
Well, very good.
Yeah,
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221: And
the winter, the hay is more important.
But I try not to
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: right.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
in the cold winter, but you never know.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah.
Are you farrowing them?
Is it comes out to about twice a year.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Some of the, I I prefer to do once a year
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: okay.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
but it, right now it's ending up, coming
up to about twice a year, and fall.
That's ideal.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Do you run your
boar with your sows and they're together
so it's kind of When nature takes over
and they're going to feral, or do you
do some management with the timing?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
So I did used to leave just the
boar with the moms starting out.
Now though, I have them separate and
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
which bore I'm gonna
send out to the, females.
And I have, I have terrible farmer.
I have a lot of boars, some
of them I bottle fed and
they're my babies and they're
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yes.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221: So I
shouldn't have that many boars, but I do.
you have too many boars out with
your, moms, there's problems
'cause they'll start fighting and
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
showing off.
And so I try to keep one out
at a time, maybe two, not more.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah so with
your, your marketing of your meats,
you're going to the farmer's market, is
that your main spot for disbursement of
your products or do you sell online or
do you have people pick up from the farm?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
So right now it's turning out
to be where the, the farmer's
market is my main source.
I would like to do drop offs in
different areas of the state.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yes.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
that's my goal.
We used, I used to have a farm
store, but due just due to current
circumstances, I had to cancel it for now.
But my goal is to start that at Big
N I'm not very comfortable with se
shipping the meat just because it is very
expensive for the box and everything.
And
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
don't have dry ice when it's really
hot, it's, it's, it can be risky.
So I'm not comfortable with that
yet, but hopefully one day I will be.
I can though ship like my, I do
have snack sticks that I make
out of the mangalitsa Itza.
They're jerky sticks, so those I
can ship and I can ship creams.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yes.
Yeah,
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221: And
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222:
with your, go ahead.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
if it's only like one or
two days I can ship meat.
I just can't do anything
longer than that right now.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Right
with your beef sticks, are you, what's the
process to get beef sticks made for you?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Sure.
So we found, I don't know if you're
familiar with Ralph's processing.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh, okay.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
So I'm not a manufacturer.
I don't have a manufacturer license.
So what we do is I, I
butcher and I take my meat.
I take my meat over to Ralph's.
And I select what recipe I want.
Right now we're doing
a clean label recipe.
They produce it for me, they
put the labels on, and then
I pick them up and sell them.
So it's like a private label.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yes.
And do you?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
taste different because the mangalitsa
is very, fat is excellent in sausage or,
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: oh,
yes.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
like that?
It's actually supposed to be a Ari meat.
It's, it ages Like the
prosciutto is dark red.
It's, it's just a beautiful meat.
But but it, even just the snack
sticks, it just makes them very soft.
You know, not like chewy and hard.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: And you
sent some pictures of the beat.
I'm gonna try to, whenever we release the
episode and I put out the graphic to try
and do multiple pictures on that graphic,
I don't do that very often, but I, I ought
to, so I'm gonna try and figure that out
so people should be able to go see it.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Okay.
Yeah, because it, I mean, it's,
it's one thing for me to tell you.
It's red meat, it's marble, and
about the fab is one thing to see it.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Because it does, it
looks like a beef roast,
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah,
the, the picture really does.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Mm-hmm.
And it's
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
fixed.
I haven't the coloring on it or anything.
That was just the color of that roast.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yeah.
Yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
a very red meat, and a lot of
people will come up to my boost
and be like, is this beef?
And I'm like, no, it's pork.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Are, do you know
of very many other producers mangalitsa
or are you about the only one in our area?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
So I think there's a, there's a
few small producers out there.
I know there is somebody down in Norman.
I don't know how they run their system.
I don't know how they're
grazing them or what
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Right.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
I don't know how many they have.
sure I probably have one of
the biggest herds in Oklahoma.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
I have not seen them being sold at
retail anywhere else, if that, so I,
I've heard of people buying halves
and holes from others, but I've
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
the retail mean menza.
There used to be a farm up
by the panhandle that did it,
and they sold to restaurants.
But
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yes.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
stopped doing that.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah.
Have you considered wholesaling
to restaurants or do you have
enough of a market direct?
You don't, you're not worried about that.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
So I would like to sell the restaurants.
In the east and west coast,
it's a very popular meat and
gets a very high price to it.
In Oklahoma, people dunno really about it.
And it's a little bit scary
when you get that big.
Pat a fat
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
your,
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: yes.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
So it is a little different.
So the restaurants is a hard
sell because I do have to make
some money out of selling the
meat in order to keep doing it.
And my margins are really thin
right now without raising my prices.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yes.
Yeah.
Is when you talk to consumers about
it and they go to purchase it,
is price the point that, is price
one of those deciding factors?
Is it that they haven't
tried this pork before?
Or
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
It is
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: what is it?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
it's a couple things.
So it's not at your, your
average $2 pound pork.
I can't sell it for that.
I will never be able to raise it for that.
I wish I could, but I can't.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Right.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Not Tyson.
so price is a big part of it.
There are a lot of people that maybe
can't spend a lot, but they will still
come and buy like the sausage or the
ground pork and use it just because the
flavor is, it just changes the dish.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Another one is people don't
understand what the mangalitsa is,
so when they see it, they see a
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: I.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
with a half inch.
Fat rind around it, it
kind of some people off.
So I try to explain, 'cause we've all
been kind of taught to believe that
fat's bad for you, that fat makes you fat
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Right.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
true in my opinion.
But it, it's getting past that, the whole
mentality of, wow, this is a lot of fat.
Do I really want to eat it?
Is it gonna clog my arteries?
No, it's not.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: It with
your mangalitsa's meat, is it
need cooked any different than
pork a person buys at the store?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
It is.
So you can cook it like a steak, so where
it's still kind of pink on the inside.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh, yes.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
So you can sear
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: I.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
and let it rest.
That's one way that like to
cook my mangalitsa and slow.
Because what you want to do is
you want that fat to start to
render out into your pan and you
want to base it with its own fat.
You don't add any other oils or
butter or anything to this big, it
has its own, but and it's amazing.
But you wanna base it in its own fat,
I always say is it took me 18 months to
grow it, kind of baby it when you cook it.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yes.
Yes.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
So don't just
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Don't,
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
a pan
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: yeah,
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221: it
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222:
don't get in a hurry.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Right.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: If so,
someone new to mangalitsa Pork, what
would you suggest they get and make?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
So I always, for starters, I try
to push people towards like a
breakfast sausage or a ground,
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Uh
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
it's one of my cheaper items.
And it's
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: oh yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
get to try the flavor and you can
kind of see what the fat is like.
other things I usually
sell is pork steaks.
The pork steaks look like a ribeye.
They're usually marbled throughout.
Those sell really well and
those are always really popular.
'cause once they try
them, then they'll be back
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yes.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
right.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Oh, very good.
Next time we're in Oklahoma City,
we will have to make sure we swing
by and buy some, so we can try it.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Yeah, that would be great.
You should.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: When you think
about the future of your farm and where
it's going, what are your thoughts?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Well, hoping that I can grow my business
and market it and maybe do better a
different type of distribution where
I'm doing drop offs to more people.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: yeah.
' squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
cause right now I'm only really
reaching the Edmond market.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Right?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
what's hard for me is I don't have
another person to work for me right now,
so I can't be at other markets also.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yes.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
I'm hoping eventually I'll
be able to hire somebody.
I'm just not there right now
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Right.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
due to life circumstances.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah.
And and markets take a lot of time,
but yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
But the, what's good about the market
is you get to meet your customer, and
your customer meets the farmer and.
to them and gets to know about how the
breed works and how animals are raised.
And you just don't know.
I mean, when you go to the store,
yeah, it could say USD organic,
but you don't, you don't know.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Right.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
So it does, it helps.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh, yes.
And, and you get that immediate
feedback from the customers
too, so you know what's going
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
And, you know, mangalitsa,
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: they're
looking for.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
And mangalitsa is not for everybody.
But I mean, it's, it's, it's wonderful.
Chefs love it.
It's just, it's a great meat.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: I,
I've heard good things about it.
I.
Initially when I'm thinking about raising
some pigs for pork shy away from it
because of the time commitment for it.
But I definitely want to try
it and, and see how it is and
that might change my mind.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Yeah.
And, and you know, they're
more difficult breed to raise.
They're not gonna be
happy on an acre property.
They're not gonna be running around.
They need, they need to run around.
Mine are very active.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
They do the 60 acres.
At least twice a day they'll run it.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Mm-hmm.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Do you or have
you had any experience with coy, coy pigs?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
I have not, they're they're
similar to the pot bellies.
They have the shorter nose.
mangalitsa can cause a lot of damage.
So anywhere they're at, like for
example where I feed them and where
they come in at night to sleep
that is completely moon scaped
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yeah.
Yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
my forest.
They've been kind to my
forest, but I think that's just
because there's so much of it.
The 60
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Uh
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
is basically forested, so it's
perfect for pigs because of the
shade and the bugs they can find.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: oh.
Yeah.
Yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
But on the Kuni Coon,
they have a shorter nose.
I think you can grow
them a little bit faster.
It depends, and they're just
an easier pig to handle.
If somebody wanted one for their farm,
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: I, I,
know I went to,
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221: it.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: I have not,
I know I went to a farm to, I think I
was buying some goats or maybe, maybe
a, I got a livestock guardian dog
there, actually, that's what it was.
I got a livestock guardian dog there,
and they had Kune Kune and I was
just amazed by their personality,
how tame and stuff.
But I haven't ever tried
to meet so that, that.
It causes me to worry a little bit because
I haven't tried it to see what it tastes
like,
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Mm-hmm.
They're not so I have
never tried kune kune.
I think they're more like a pop belly pig.
So they're gonna have a lot of fat.
They're gonna be a fatty pig.
They're a lot different raised to raise in
Mangalitsa because they don't have a long
nose, so they're not gonna dig as much.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
raise them mostly on pasture.
They don't need the grain as much.
You'll still have to feed them some, but.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Right.
Yeah.
Before we move to the famous
four questions, Natalie, is there
anything else you'd like to add?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
I don't know.
I dunno,
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: You.
You'll probably think of it
like at 2:00 AM or something.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
probably.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah.
There we go.
Yeah.
Our famous four questions, our same four
questions we ask of all of our guests
Speaker 2: At Redmond, we know that
you thrive when your animals do.
That's why it's essential to fill
the gaps in your herd's nutrition
with the minerals that they need.
Made by nature, our ancient mineral
salt and conditioner clay are the
catalyst in optimizing the nutrients
your animals get from their forage.
Unaltered and unrefined, our minerals
have the natural balance and proportion
to help that your animals prefer.
This gives your herd the ability
to naturally regulate their
mineral consumption as they graze.
Our minerals won't just help you
improve the health of your animals,
but will also help you naturally build
soil fertility so you can grow more
nutrient dense pasture year after year.
Nourish your animals, your soil,
and your life with Redmond.
Learn more at redmondagriculture.
com
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222:
and Natalie to get started.
What's your favorite grazing
grass related book or resource?
Now, we talked about this earlier.
Did you have time to think of one?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Yeah, I have a book upstairs, but
it's all about regenerative farming.
And I love I love Joel Salaton
even though he's not probably
a big fan of the mangalitsa
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
because he likes, he likes to
grow them fast and sell them fast.
Eventually, so right now we have
60 acres of forest and they're just
running that, but eventually I would
like to probably section it off into
sections, maybe like into four and
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
over where they're going.
I've just have not been
able to do that quite yet.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222:
You've got a lot going on right
now.
You eventually, it's, it's
a journey for all of us
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221: It
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: and, yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
and we try, I try to seed,
we seed winter wheat.
They love that.
Last summer, the last couple
summers has been very difficult
because they were, it was a drought.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah,
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
everything has kind of dived and, and
then this year it's just all rained.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: right.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
a swamp.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: It is, yeah.
Our second question, what's
your favorite tool for the farm?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
My favorite tool for the farm.
My bucket and meat.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh, there you go.
Yes.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
I I do, tractors are wonderful
to move things around.
They're great.
They break down a lot.
I
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
I don't know what the farm, I
mean, you have a farm, so you
know, there's always something
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: There always
is.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
or something
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: I.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
So the only reliable tool
I have is myself right now,
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah.
Well,
very good
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221: till
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: for now
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
and then I can't do it.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222:
Our third question.
What would you tell someone
just getting started?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
I would tell somebody just getting
started to really educate yourself
about what you're raising.
Make sure that's what you wanna raise.
Don't just look at YouTube.
I mean, you know, read books, study
it, see what you're gonna get.
It's like, for example, like the
mangalitsa said, it's never gonna
have a beautiful giant tenderloin.
They don't
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
They have a very thin tenderloin
because they're mostly fat.
educate yourself about the breed.
Get your some of your, what's it called?
Like your barn get, get some of your, your
fencing ready before you bring the animal
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yes.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Just get prepared and and there's
gonna be some hard days there's gonna
be some days where you wake up and
you say, I made a bad life decision.
But, but overall, it,
it is very rewarding.
Especially when you
see the babies and they
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
and it's just, it is really rewarding.
I love it, but it is a labor of love,
so it's not an easy life for sure.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Right, and there
are days you don't want to go do it There.
There are days you
wish it turned out better, but
yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
outside and your wells are frozen,
you don't wanna be out there,
but you have to be out there.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Right.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
it's 110, you might not wanna
be out there, but you have to,
especially with the manza because
they're great with the cold weather.
They're not so good with the heat.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh
yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221: So
mine do shed pretty well in the spring.
Like right now mine are shedding.
But they do get their hair back so
when it's really, really hot, they have
to have a wallow to cool down in or.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yeah.
Yeah.
Last question.
Where can others find out more about you?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
They can go on our website just look
up Olde Oak Glen Farm in Oklahoma
and our website will pop up.
You can learn about that.
You can also call, give me a call and
come out and I'll show you the farm.
And actually you get to see the pigs and
see what they're like and how they live.
I think that's a, I think agritourism
is a great tool for farmers.
Just for, so people understand
where their animals coming from,
how it's raised and, 'cause there's
a lot of misinformation out there,
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah, I, I
think that's a excellent point there.
We'll put a link to your website in
our show notes, but yeah, getting
people out to a farm, getting them
closer so they can see how it's done.
I would encourage all consumers to
know where their products are coming
from.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Because it's, it doesn't
come from Walmart.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221: You
know, it doesn't come out of a package.
It, took somebody, I mean, even
just, even with beef, I mean, it,
it took years to get to that point.
It's, but people don't,
they don't see it anymore.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: I.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
It's just so easy to go to
the store and pick it up.
They just don't see it.
They don't, I, I don't
know that, I don't know.
I don't know how I would say that.
How would you say that?
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah.
Well there's a disconnect
because so many, so many people
don't have access to farms
in that their grandparents are not farmers
or,
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221: get,
I do get a lot of, oh, they're so cute.
Why do, why do you kill them?
That's a common question.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Oh yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
But I always, you know, nobody's
gonna raise a pick just for fun like
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Right?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
might for a little while, but.
They're not just gonna the breed
going, just to look at them.
As soon as that happens, they go extinct.
As the mangalitsa did.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah.
Almost Yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
tell people, if you wanna save
a breed, you have to eat it.
'cause otherwise, who's,
nobody's gonna grow it
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Right.
There's gotta be a market for 'em.
Yeah.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
There has to be a reason
for them to be there.
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: Yeah.
And Natalie, to wrap up today,
do you have a question for me?
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
Yeah, I think it's great what you're
doing with the Grazing cattle podcast.
How did you get into that?
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: I started
it in 2020 because I wanted to talk
to people that were doing what I was
trying to do, and when I looked around.
In my area, I didn't see people doing
what I was trying to do, so this
was a way for me to connect with
them and have these conversations.
And then once I started having the
conversations, I didn't want the
conversations always to be about
cattle or always to be about hair
sheep because it's real easy for it.
The episodes talk about cattle.
If I bring in another species, it's real
easy for it to be hair sheep, but I'd
like to have, or my goal is that we have
all genres of livestock species on here.
We have all geographical locations
on here, so I try and get a nice.
Selection you're located in Oklahoma.
I try and be really careful with
Oklahomans on here because I could
quickly get too many because I know more
people in Oklahoma than I do in other
states, so I try and space them out and
I get too many people from one area on,
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221:
I think that's
cal_2_07-14-2025_124222: so.
But I really appreciate you
coming on and sharing today.
squadcaster-icjc_1_07-14-2025_124221: Yes.
Thank you so much.
One thing about our conversation with
Natalie that I really enjoyed was
she kinda ended up in the mangalitsa
pig production almost by accident.
She got pigs.
She enjoyed it, and she leaned
into it, and I, I hope what
you're doing, you're enjoying.
Um, I want to enjoy what I'm doing here.
There's days you don't enjoy it.
We talked about that on the podcast
or earlier, but you've got to
have that passion, that enjoyment
for it, and she leaned into it.
If she'd came and asked me and said,
Hey, I want to raise some pigs to
sell pork at the farmer's market,
would I had encouraged that path?
I probably wouldn't have.
But she's making it work and
that's the important thing.
She enjoys it and she's making it work.
Now, it does bring me to mind that I'm
currently taking an online sell-buy
class, and one thing we talk about quite
often in that class is the cost to keep.
And what I mean by bringing that
up, just as Natalie, those figs are
taking longer to develop, longer to
get to that point for processing.
And she's got to know her price to keep
'em that long so she can sell her meat.
And does it mean it's
the lowest cost meat?
No.
She's selling a premium product.
And in fact, next time we're in
Edmond at the Farmer's Market, we're
going to get some so we can try it.
I'm excited to try it
and see how it tastes.
I hope you're if, if you are in that
area, you stop by and support her as well.
Cal: Thank you for listening to this
episode of the grazing grass podcast,
where we bring you stories and insights
into grass-based livestock production.
If you're new here, we've
got something just for you.
Our new listener resource guide.
Is packed with everything you need
to get started on your listening
journey with a grazing grass podcast.
It gives you more information
about the podcast about myself.
And next steps.
You can grab your free
copy at grazinggrass.com
slash guide.
Don't miss out.
And Hey, do you have a
grazing story to share?
We're always looking for passionate
producers to feature on the show,
whether you're just starting out or have
years of experience your story matters.
Head over to grazing grass.
Dot com slash guest.
To learn more and apply to be a guest.
We'd love to share your journey with
our growing community of grazers.
Until next time.
Keep on grazing grass.
