Two Yorkshire hogs
The Yorkshire breed is arguably one of the most popular breeds you can find today, represented by the fact they are the largest populous breed that is registered in the US & Canada.
Origins of the Yorkshire
The beginnings of the Yorkshire began in 1500’s England when hogs were becoming kept in towns in larger numbers than ever before. I personally would have hated this custom, but apparently in some towns they would designated Saturday as they day to let hogs roam throughout town so they could clean out the barns. I’m sure they must have caused plenty of damage and made life difficult on everyone.
It wasn’t until 1770 when farmers in the county of York, England started cross breeding a native white hog with a small white Chinese pig that the Yorkshire breed began to form into what it is today.
In 1761, another white breed of hog named the Leicestershire that was native to the area was improved upon by a man named Robert Bakewell. You will consistently find that the best Yorkshire hogs today have some claim to being a descendant from those hogs.
York County located in Northern England
As these white hogs became more popular and cross bred, they ended up settling on the name of English Large White. You will find that name is still commonly used throughout England while Yorkshire is the go-to name for the rest of the world.
With multiple breeders in the British Isles having their own English Large White lineages, the concept of agricultural shows & competitions started to form. Farmers found that they could increase the demand of their boar studs in these local, county, and national shows.
History in the United States
The first exports of the breed were to the Ohio area in 1830, but today you can find them in every state, concentrated mostly in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Nebraska. Their popularity was not an immediate success though and took almost a hundred years to gain traction.
In the 1920’s after WWI the demand for lard was decreasing, so two companies (Morrell Packing Company & Hormel Packing Company) began marketing the breed to farmers in the area. They were afraid of the demand for the breed falling along with lard, which ended up coming to fruition as the farmers were not fans of their slow growth & compressed, short noses. For example, a Duroc hog needs only 6 months to grow to full size while the Yorkshire typically needs 10 months.
It was not until the 1940’s that the breeds demand increased exponentially. Mothering skills, above-average litter sizes, longer bodies, and lean carcasses had become popular at this time. When farmers saw those traits in a few English Large Whites that were imported from the UK at this time, they became willing to breed Yorkshires again. A lot of the Yorkshires at this time were exported from Canada to the United States. Transportation was a small obstacle for the country wide adaption, as there were no interstate highways at this time.
Countless Yorkshire breeders over the years have have taken advantage of the STAGES program created by the National Swine Registry. It is a genetic evaluation program, and from 1990-2006 submitted over 440,000 carcass records & over 320,0000 sow productivity records. The program was created to help breeders predict the genetic value of their lineage.
Characteristics of the Yorkshire
There bodies are completely covered in the color white and their ears are pointed & erect, with short tails that curl back towards their butt. The breed is visibly muscular, leading to a lean meat carcass, but with high amounts of backfat. This variety in their carcass means they can be raised and butchered for a variety of cuts.
While the breed are slow growers, their long bodies and fundamentally sound legs & feet allow them to be active and healthy. They generally have a lifespan of 6 – 10 years.
| Boar | Sow | |
| Weight | 550lbs – 750lbs / 250kg – 340kg | 450lbs – 650lbs / 204kg – 295kg |
Their white bodies can get sunburned easily, so giving them mud pits to wallow in or applying sunscreen during summer months is recommended. Sows are considered incredible mothers and typically produce large litters of 10-12 piglets.
Other Facts
- The first Yorkshire registered in the United States was Clover Crest A, a boar imported from Canada
- The motto, “The Mother Breed and a Whole Lot More,” is attributed to the Yorkshire
- The American Yorkshire Club was organized on April 1, 1893, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.