Farmer Raises Organic Pigs Less in Fats, Cholesterol
Here’s a good news for people who love to eat pork: A farmer in Rosario, Batangas has raised organic pigs whose pork is less in fat and cholesterol.
He’s Ed Limon, a triple-heart-bypassed balikbayan from U.S. With his health condition, this 49-year-old businessman and former executive vice president of Delta Motors in the mid-’70s and Columbia Motors in the ’90s, has always been interested in organic foods. So when he retired early at 40, he established a 7-hectare farm on top of a hill in Rosario, Batangas.
He grows organic vegetables, fruit trees and rice, but he has concentrated on native chicken and swine production. And since he knows very well that chickens can he grown organically, he has contemplated on the possibility of raising organic pigs.
Surfing the net for related studies, Ed has learned about Atovi, an organic feed additive for chickens and pigs invented by Engr. Walther Alvarez. It reportedly improves the digestive system of fowls and livestock, resulting in reduction in feed rations by at least 6.2 percent and excretion of chemical residues in the body.
Hoping that Atovi might be the answer, Ed phoned Engr. Alvarez and inquired about his invention. Finding himself interested, Ed bought some Atovi and mixed it with the regular feed rations of his swine and poultry, and he observed encouraging results.
Scouring in piglets was considerably reduced, and his stock seemed to have better immunity against common swine diseases. Mortality of piglets was also reduced from 30 percent to almost nil, and feed requirement was reduced yet his fatteners gained weight faster.
But what surprised him the most was when he had the pork analyzed, it was found that it was less in fat and cholesterol and had no chemical residue!
Knowing that more and more consumers are becoming health conscious nowadays, Ed and his wife were encouraged to sell their low-fat pork. Their first buyers were their close friends and neighbors in Paranaque where they also have a residence. And just as he had expected, they liked the pork not only because of its savory taste, but mainly because it was less in fat and cholesterol.
Ed and his wife then decided to try their luck in meat processing; they made pork and chicken tocino, hams, and other meat products with the meat of their organic pigs. Eventually, they had regular orders so Ed had to butcher some of his fatteners periodically.
Now, he also sells lechon on occasions. On his first attempt to sell lechon, however, he was demeaned because the skin of his roast pig was not crisp as it was low in fat. And yet, the meat was tender and tasted differently.
In one occasion, Ed invited some friends, including Engr. Alvarez and a lawyer who also had undergone bypass heart operation. He served each of then; two platefuls of lechon and they did not feel dizzy or any symptoms of hypertension after eating.
As of now, his sale of lechon as well as his other meat products is increasing. And that’s an indication that there’s a good chance that his business will flourish in the near future.