Situated in the cool coastal climate of Monterey County, California lies Rancho Dos Fuentes. Named after natural springs that seep from the surrounding hillside, the ranch rarely experiences extreme hot or cold temperatures and is located in an agricultural zone that favors the cultivation of cool-loving berries and greens which are produced locally almost year round.
Why Old Spots?
In 2009, my husband and I were looking for our next pair of piglets to raise for the freezer. After reading magazine articles and doing some research on heritage breeds, we decided to try a breed called ‘Gloucestershire Old Spots’ rather than our usual modern cross choice. The GOS pigs for which we drove all the way out to Oregon proved to be extremely friendly, calm, funny pigs that produced tasty, succulent meat. In 2010 We drove cross country as far as upstate New York with stops in Kansas and Illinois to pick up breeding stock and our mission to preserve this worthy rare breed began.
In fall of 2015, after 5 years of breeding GOS pigs and realizing the lack of genetic diversity present in current US familial lines required ‘new blood’ to keep the breed healthy for the long term, we decided to pursue an importation from Great Britain of as many available female lines as possible. After a year of paperwork, stress, and an ever-emptying wallet, we have finally succeeded in bringing in 8 of the 11 missing female lines to the ranch in November of 2016. Next goal, babies!