Our farm is in the Adirondacks of New York.  We live in Lewis in Essex County.  We raise chickens and pigs, make maple syrup and cut rough lumber. 

We are now raising four lines of heritage breed pigs on pasture:  the Tamworth, the Berkshire, the Gloucestershire Old Spot, and the Large Black Hog.  Tamworths are known for their hardiness and long sides while Berkshires are known for their flavor, Old Spots are known for their mothering abilities, Large Blacks are friendly and provide excellent meat quality and are extremely rare. They all thrive on pasture.  They are all proving to be very hardy for this harsh Adirondack climate.  We are now entering our 4th farrowing season, our herd is growing.   We have a nice mix of registered and unregistered pure bred stock.   The sows are farrowing outdoors in the elements and the piglets have demonstrated why heritage pigs are so desirable.   We have raised several feeders and can assure you that for flavor both Tamworths and Berkshires and crosses are top notch.  The bacon from the Tamworths is amazing, and the fresh hams from both are like eating steak. We have just begun with the Gloucestershire Old Spots, but they are growing great and are the friendliest pigs we've raised to date.  The GOS and Large Blacks are definetly the most laid back pigs and are great around kids and great for not crushing piglets or chasing the farmer.  The GOS piglets are the fastest growing we've seen so far and the GOS sow also nursed another litter that was not her own when she was done with hers.

UPDATE:  Papers received on Aurora the Large Black and she is bred to Boarealis and getting big.

WARNING:  We are having a terrible time getting papers for our Large Blacks.  Be wary of someone charging $300 to $350 for a breeder that won't give you the papers when you pick up your pigs.
 

Berkshire pigs are black, they have white on their feet and on part of their face.  They have upright ears and a fairly long snout.  Their meat has a high degree of marbling and the color is much more red than conventional pork.  In Japan, Berkshire meat is known as Kurubota and is highly sought after and fetches a higher price.  Berkshire meat is often considered to be analagous to Kobe beef.  The American Berkshire Association is the oldest registry for swine in the United States dating back to 1875.
Tamworth Pigs are much less common in the United States, but are becoming  more popular.  Their meat qualities are similar to Berkshires.  They have a long snout which makes them excellent rototillers.  They have a red coat and may have dark spots on their skin.  They have erect ears like the Berkshire which may help them avoid frostbite during harsh conditions.  They are extremely long, which translates to extra bacon.  They are great at rounding up food for themselves, so they lend themselves well to raising on pasture or in the woods.
Gloucestershire Old Spots are white with black spots and floppy ears that cover their eyes.  They are known as excellent foragers and excellent mothers.
Large Blacks are similar to GOS only they are all black.  They are very friendly and don't seem to root as much as Tamworths and Berkshires.

 

We have been using the pigs to help clear the land and cut lumber from the overabundance of white pine.  We use the lumber to build the pig housing and plan to eventually build a barn.

UPDATE:  We are in the process of moving some of our animals to our new sight on 40 + acres with a barn.