Farm Type Guide
Raising Pigs in New York
Feeder pigs, pastured pork, and small breeding herds across the state. How to get started, the health and processing rules you need to know, and the help available to veterans.
The Industry at a Glance
- New York has far fewer hog farms than it used to. In 1978, 5,017 farms in the state kept about 126,000 hogs and pigs. By 2022, that was down to 1,352 farms and 42,889 hogs.
- The recent picture is mixed. The number of farms with hogs actually rose from 1,527 in 2002 to 1,912 in 2012, then fell to 1,352 by 2022. The number of animals has dropped more steadily, from 85,741 in 2007 to 42,889 in 2022.
- Most New York pig farms are small. At the end of 2022, 1,198 of the 1,352 farms with hogs had fewer than 25 animals.
- New York farms sold 140,126 hogs and pigs in 2022, worth about $25.9 million. That's fewer animals than the 191,458 sold in 2017, but the total value went up slightly, from about $24.9 million.
New York has lost most of its hog farms since the 1970s, and small farms raising pork for local customers can help fill the gap. If you’re a veteran interested in raising pigs, talk to us about joining the effort to bring small-scale pork back to New York.
Getting Started: Pigs, Fencing, and Housing
- Most new farmers start by buying feeder pigs in the spring and raising them to market weight over the summer and fall. It's the lowest-risk way to learn, and you can be selling pork within your first year. Keeping sows and boars for breeding takes more housing, more skill, and year-round work.
- Pigs root, push, and test fences constantly. Many pasture farms train pigs to electric fencing in a small, secure pen first, then move them to larger paddocks. Plan for rotating paddocks so the ground can recover.
- Pigs need shade and a wallow in summer, a dry, draft-free shelter in winter, and water that doesn't freeze. An older barn can often be adapted. The New York Pork Producers have been working on a video series about converting dairy barns to pork.
- Feed is usually the biggest ongoing cost, even on pasture, because pigs can't live on grass alone. Get prices from a local feed mill and ask about bulk delivery before you buy pigs, so you know your costs up front.
Health Rules and Moving Pigs
- Pigs brought into New York from another state need a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection issued by an accredited veterinarian within the 30 days before entry, plus a USDA-approved ear tag (840, NUES, or PIN tags). There are no testing requirements for pigs from within the United States.
- NYS Agriculture and Markets provides official ear tags and taggers at no cost through its Ear Tag Order Form. You'll need a premises identification number, issued through the state animal health official, to buy official electronic tags.
- Under state rules, a person who buys and sells swine is treated as an animal dealer and needs a Domestic Animal Health Permit. Ask the department whether this applies to you before you start reselling feeder pigs.
- It is illegal in New York to feed garbage, offal, or carcasses to pigs, cooked or uncooked. Feeding your own household's scraps to your own pigs is exempt, but meat scraps are one of the ways diseases like African swine fever spread, so many farmers avoid them entirely.
- Agriculture and Markets lists African swine fever, porcine epidemic diarrhea, PRRS, pseudorabies, brucellosis, and influenza as diseases pig owners should know, and some must be reported. Eurasian boar and their hybrids are illegal to own, breed, or release in New York.
Processing and Selling Pork
- Pork sold by the cut, at a farmers market, store, or restaurant, must come from a USDA-inspected slaughterhouse. Frozen inspected meat sold from the farm must be kept at 0 degrees or below.
- Many small farms sell freezer pork instead. You sell a live pig, or a half, quarter, or as little as a sixteenth, to a customer before slaughter, and a custom exempt processor cuts it for them. That meat is stamped "not for sale" and is only for the buyer's household.
- If you price live pigs by weight, you need a certified scale. Without one, sell by the head or by the portion.
- Getting a processing date is often the hardest part. Cornell reports that New York farms often wait 12 months or more for a slot and many drive up to two hours to a processor, so book your dates before you buy your pigs.
- Cornell Small Farms points farmers to the MeatSuite Processors' Directory to find USDA-inspected and custom exempt processors in New York.
Organizations
- New York Pork Producers is the statewide group for pig farmers. It holds free Pork Producers Connect breakfast meetings around the state, where Agriculture and Markets staff have helped farmers with 840 RFID tags, and supports youth swine education.
- The National Pork Board (Pork Checkoff) runs PQA Plus, a food safety and animal care certification you can complete online or in person, and has free biosecurity and disease prevention resources.
- The Cornell Small Farms Program publishes the Guide to Direct Marketing Livestock and Poultry, which explains New York's processing and freezer meat rules in plain terms.
- Your county Cornell Cooperative Extension office can answer local questions, and several counties keep swine resource pages with Agriculture and Markets links, feeding guides, and 4-H materials.
- National Pork Producers Council is the national association of 42 state pork producer groups. It hosts the World Pork Expo, runs leadership programs such as the Pork Leadership Institute, and sends a weekly Capital Update newsletter on issues that affect hog farms.
- The Livestock Conservancy is a national nonprofit that works to keep rare and heritage livestock breeds from disappearing. It publishes a Conservation Priority List, keeps a breeders and products directory, offers a microgrant program, and holds regular webinars.
- American Grassfed Association is a national producer-founded nonprofit with a pastured pork standard alongside its ruminant and dairy standards. Farms that pass third-party inspections can use the AGA certified label and are listed in its producer directory.
Training and Help
- Start with a few feeder pigs, or work a season on an established pig farm, before you invest in breeding stock or a big barn.
- Farm Ops at Cornell Small Farms offers farm training built for veterans and their families.
- Armed to Farm is a hands-on sustainable agriculture training for veterans.
- SUNY Reconnect may cover tuition for an agriculture degree at a SUNY campus.
- Cornell Cooperative Extension helped create a registered butcher apprenticeship with the state Department of Labor. It's paid, on-the-job training in a trade New York badly needs.
Benefits for Veterans
- ELAP covers eligible livestock losses, with higher payment rates for veterans on some losses.
- EQIP gives veterans priority and higher cost-share on conservation practices for grazing and livestock.
- FSA microloans of up to $50,000 can help with startup costs like animals, fencing, and equipment.
- File form CCC-860 (veteran certification) with FSA to get these benefits.
- Label your pork with the Homegrown By Heroes veteran brand so customers know it was raised by a veteran.
How to Get Started
- Talk to a processor and book your slaughter dates first. Then buy a few feeder pigs.
- Get a premises identification number and ear tags from Agriculture and Markets, and use a CVI if your pigs come from out of state.
- Get a USDA farm number and file form CCC-860 (veteran certification) with FSA.
- Decide how you'll sell, freezer pork by the half or USDA-inspected cuts, and line up customers before the pigs are grown.
- Join New York Pork Producers and attend a meeting to meet farmers already doing the work.
Sources: USDA NASS Census of Agriculture (1982, 2002, 2012, 2017, and 2022); NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets; NYS Department of Environmental Conservation; Cornell Small Farms Program; Cornell Cooperative Extension; New York Pork Producers; National Pork Board; USDA APHIS and FSA.
