LiaBraaten Farm

Elliott LiaBraaten, owner and self-proclaimed “head wrangler” at the LiaBraaten Pig Ranch, thinks taking a step back in time is a good thing. LiaBraaten’s farm produces pork the old-fashioned way, with hogs raised outside on dirt, with plenty of fresh air and sunshine. In Spokane, Missouri, the pigs root and wallow outdoors, instead of being raised indoors on slatted concrete like animals in factory farms. 

LiaBraaten raised pigs for several years before deciding to scale up to a business three years ago, and he has a philosophy: interfere with nature as little as possible. To him, this means never using farrowing crates, drugs, vaccines, hormones, or antibiotics. The LiaBraaten Pig Ranch raises old line heritage hogs, such as Berkshire, Hereford, and Old Spots. 

LiaBraaten believes the local grown farm-to-table movement is just getting started. More consumers are concerned about the origins of their food, as well as the production methods, and honest labeling. Local, small scale meat production builds trust between consumers and farmers. 

The pork production in Spokane might not be as efficient as factory farms, but the hogs are healthy and contented. LiaBraaten enjoys watching groups of hogs run around the pasture for fun, and he believes that an exercised hog is a healthy hog, which also contributes to the flavor and quality of the final pork product. One visitor to the ranch said, “If you’re a pig, this seems like a pretty good life.” 

LiaBraaten has a sense of humor: he jokingly brags that his pork is almost good enough to be considered kosher, and he occasionally sneaks an Oreo to a piglet for a snack, treating the little ones like pets. He has fun, but is serious about high-quality, humanely raised pork.