David Whitman raises Animal Welfare Approved hogs on David L. Whitman Farm in Kenansville, NC. David started farming when he was 14 years old. He now lives on and tends the farm where he grew up. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” he says.

Currently on the farm David has about 130 hogs of Hampshire, Duroc, Farmer’s hybrid, and Yorkshire breeds. He is proud that he raises his pigs in their own natural environment, with green stuff to forage on, and mud puddles to play in. Occasionally in the winter even David will join in the fun. He’ll bring out his hockey stick and a few sweet gum-tree balls and skate over the frozen puddles.

David says the way he raises his hogs–the farming practices which AWA supports and certifies–“could all be put under one heading, and that’s ‘Common Sense’.” Spending their lives outdoors, David’s pigs live off of the fresh air, sunshine and fresh food that nature provides and give back to the earth nutrients and minerals that maintain the health of the farm’s soil. It is a truly symbiotic, natural, and sustainable relationship from which the environment, the animals, and the consumer all benefit.

David is a member of the North Carolina Natural Hog Growers Association, a cooperative of AWA pastured pork growers. Pork from the NCNHGA is available at select Whole Foods Markets and is also served at The Pit, an authentic barbeque restaurant in Raleigh, NC