Legend has it that Berkshire pigs originated in England around 200 years ago and were sent to Japanese emperors as gifts in the 19th century.
Modern-day breeder Gordon Fawckner might not be sending his produce to oriental royalty but in his eyes, the clientele at Saturday's Toowoomba Farmers Markets are just as deserving of the flavoursome cuts of free-range pork and lamb he's selling.
They are raised on the 40 hectare Grapetree Farm perched on the Great Dividing Range north of Toowoomba he and wife Jeni moved to from Roma five-and-a-half years ago, and sold under the brand label Emperor's Pork.
A mixture of Berkshire, otherwise known and sought after as the Wagyu of the pork world, and the reddish-brown Duroc breed, the Fawckner's small pig herd makes for a niche market that's much sought after, especially at Christmas time.
While the nitrate-free bacon is always a bestseller, along with chops, pork bellies and shoulders for pulled pork, hams and roasts come into their own in the festive season.
Through trial and error, Mr Fawckner has found that 30 growing pigs at a time are enough for customer demand at the markets, along with private orders for whole, half and quarter carcases.
They're processed at the Maclagan Meats abattoir while older sows go to Boonah for smallgoods.
Before that, they've chowed down on a diet that a king would be proud of - as well as foraging through the paddocks of Grapetree Farm, their base diet is milled sorghum and wheat with a mineral concentrate mixed in.
On top of that, a Brisbane bakery supplies surplus bread, while three tonnes of carrots and beetroots come from Lockyer Valley waste streams, and in a tasty touch, a fellow market operator keeps his garlic tops for Mr Fawckner to put through the mill and add to the diet as a natural wormer.
Expansion to lamb
The Fawckners have also expanded to incorporate a small flock of meat sheep on the farm, so they can offer an alternate meat choice at the markets.
With most of the infrastructure in place to run sheep on the farm, and with the processing equipment just as able to cope with sheep as pork, it was felt they would introduce more diversity to the operation.
The sheep flock is a licorice allsorts paddock of breeds, with a Southdown ram introduced, so that "little nuggety lambs" are the outcome.
With wild dogs howling nearby most days, the 100 sheep are locked up each night, while the pigs are contained behind a fence and a hot wire.
According to Mr Fawckner, only one feral pig has breached the boundary.
Their philosophy is simple - to breed a product that's kind to the earth and can be sold direct to the customer.
With less people in the supply chain, we can guarantee our product
- Gorden Fawckner, Emperor's Pork
"As with any industry, if you have a monoculture, you end up with big problems.
"We look at what people like Roger Savory and Peter Andrews are saying about rotational grazing and spelling your country.
"We might not be doing all of that but we're working towards it."
As far as the fat content of their meat goes, Mr Fawckner says that's where all the flavour and tenderness comes from, and the eating quality is what makes their product so sought after.
The fat has a lower melting point, which is where the melt-in-your-mouth sensation comes from, and the flavour is enhanced by the stress-free life the pigs live.
Piglets are weaned at eight to 10 weeks and males are castrated because, unlike the intense industry, they're not ready for market until they're seven months old.
The only downside to the free range operation is the amount of piglet mortality, sometimes 50pc, due largely to overlay.
That increases the cost of production dramatically, and is why Duroc genetics were introduced, to see if it would make any difference at farrowing time.
Fiery times
Although they've been at Hampton for less than a decade, it's been an eventful few years.
As well as maintaining the operation under drought conditions, they experienced the full fury of the destructive Pechey bushfire at the end of 2019.
"Helicopters and sirens were going overhead but the pigs just sat quietly under the trees," Mr Fawckner said.
He and a brother-in-law chose to stay and fight the fire, which at times came within 40m of their home.
When it was over, with only one usable paddock left and quite a bit of fencing lost, a mate from Winton sent down a 40 foot trailer load of hay.
"Needless to say, he got a Christmas ham that year," Mr Fawckner said.
In a nice synergy and thanks to the cooperative nature of the farmers markets, the Fawckners are able to offer a unique preserve that perfectly complements their roast pork.
The tree that Grapetree Farm is named after produces kilograms of a fruit that a chef at the markets cooked up into a delicious Jaboticaba preserve.
Its soft interior is reminiscent of a lychee but its skin is tart and the last taste left after chewing.
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