Our Story
The first breed association for Large Blacks was formed in England in 1898. The LBHA was founded in 2009 by a small group of enthusiasts that were passionate about the Large Black Hog in America.
The Large Black Hog Association is a non-profit association managed by volunteers. We are open to everyone; professional breeders and rare hog enthusiasts alike. The greatest benefit of being a member of this Association is to help in the preservation of this fantastic breed. You membership allows us to continue to market, research and develop the breed to higher levels. Tracking the animals thru birth notifications and registrations is vital to maintaining accurate counts of these great pigs. Don’t want to raise animals but want to support us? The LBHA operates in accord with the laws of Texas regarding Non-Profit Corporations and as a IRS 501 (c) (5) nonprofit agricultural organization.
This breed has a large size and is efficient in production on pasture. Our breed is usually used in small scale production of pork and bacon. It has value in commercial crossing operations, these crosses yield great hybrid vigor.
Initial importations to the US in the 1920’s declined after WWII due to shifts from outdoor operations to indoor environments where the outdoor breeds couldn’t compete. The Large Blacks nearly became extinct in the 1960’s. In 1973 the breed was placed on the critically endangered list.
A 1985 importation to the U.S. was made by Ag-World Exports, which felt that the ability of the Large Black to be productive in rough conditions would make it an economically attractive breed for U.S. farmers. There was a further importation of Large Black pigs to Cabbage Hill Farm, NY in 1998. Most of these pigs disappeared due to poor national herd management.
During the first 2 decades of the 21st century the breed seemed to be rapidly increasing in size and was removed from the endangered list. However, in 2017 the LBHA and the Livestock Conservancy began an extensive census to determine accurate live animal counts. This 18 month program revealed that there was fewer than 300 registered animals in existence which brought this breed back onto the critically endangered list
Beginning in 2019 a joint venture between the Livestock Conservancy and Purdue University began to study AI sequences in the LBH. In February 2020, the program dispersed several piglets born of semen frozen for nearly 20 years. And in July 2020, 25 half U.K./U.S. piglets headed to their forever homes of those who donated sows/gilts to the project.