GOING WHOLE HOG: Series spotlights the contributions of the many people involved in the entire supply chain
a favourite from that list. And so the meatballs that I chose are actually very similar to a dish that my husband makes, so I chose that one,” she said.
Miller’s job is to formulate the feed that best suits the needs of each of Wallenstein Feed and Supply’s customers. For example, farmers raising specialty pigs intended to have more marbling, or fat, will have a different diet than more typical pigs raised to be leaner, she said.
She likes her job because pigs are omnivores and can eat many things. This means nutritionists can
get creative about what to feed them. For example, they can use some products that come from the process of making dried distillers grain with solubles, which is a byproduct of the ethanol industry. “It allows us to also be a little bit more sustainable, use ingredients that perhaps might end up in a landfill, but we can feed them to pigs.”
Neil Stephens, a feed truck driver with Wallenstein Feed and Supply, was another person featured in the book and video series. He said his favourite way to eat pork is in a pulled pork sandwich.
Stephens said he
participated, “to be a good ambassador for the company.” His favourite part of his job is working with customers.
“I like the people I meet, the people I work with,” he said. He said driving the truck is kind of a means to an end and that he enjoys helping his customers get what they need.
He also appreciates the goal and message of the Whole Hog campaign. “You know, the farmer raises the pigs, but he doesn’t do it alone,” he said.
Other locals featured in the book include Ed Metzger, a veterinarian from Linwood, and
Justine Parkinson, a producer services team leader at Conestoga Meats in Breslau.
Ash said any family recipes that were submitted were run through their partner chef Emily
Richard in Guelph who worked with the photographers to prepare and plate the recipes and make sure the recipes were ready for consumers to follow.
Ash says Ontario Pork is donating the proceeds from the book to Feed Ontario, which supports food banks across the province.
The book is available at the Ontario Pork website (ontariopork.on.ca) and select stores.