PUGET SOUND PASTURES
KUNEKUNE GENETICS & SEMEN
PSP Genetics
Foundation
Puget Sound Pastures has sourced its genetics from the World's leaders in the Kunekune Pork industry. The majority of our sows and boars were bred by The USA Herd and Ivanleigh Farms in Ontario, Canada. Our breeding program's core focus is to assemble Kunekune Hogs that are profitable pork producers. Selection emphasis is aimed at optimizing genetic potential for sow productivity, growth rate, feed efficiency, and carcass merit. While the current phase of our program does not allow for the abundant release of seedstock, we aspire for our clients to achieve superior results in their operations.
Owner, Mitchell Eastwood (left), with Mike & Amanda of Eby Boys Transport in 2022, after completing the largest ever import of Ivanleigh genetics into the United States from Canada.
IKHR Carcass Merit Initiative
Carcass Ultrasound
One of the cornerstone pieces to the selection process at PSP is collecting Kunekune carcass data via ultrasound. Utilizing carcass ultrasound on live hogs provides us information for backfat thickness, loin depth, loin eye area, and IMF (intramuscular fat) or marbling. This data in invaluable for helping us to identify individuals that are ideal for our goals - having more muscle, optimal backfat, and a high IMF %.
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The technology has been used in the swine industry for decades, however has only made it's way to the Kunekune breed in the past 10 years. Intensive work has been done at Ivanleigh Farms, who served as the pilot program. Since, IKHR registered breeders have begun participating in conjunction with the IKHR Carcass Merit Initiative.
Swine certified ultrasound technician, Bob Patacini from Missoula, MT takes image to measure IMF on yearling Kunekune gilt.