Weed-fed hogs

Washington State pot legalization prompts butcher to feed marijuana to pigs

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

Since Washington State passed legalization of marijuana last year, cannabis growers have been searching for ways to market the unused bits of the plant that you otherwise cannot sell. A butcher has come up with a solution for the plant waste – feeding the rest of the plant to hogs. The pigs are feed the leftover stems, leaves and root bulbs.

The butcher, William Von Schneidau paired up a medical marijuana co-op - Top Shelf Organic and a hog farmer to work together and create controlled-substance pork. According to Von Scheidau, adding weed to feed increases the fiber content of a pig’s diet, encouraging weight gain. Reports say that the pork has a savory taste. Von Scheidau calls the marijuana-fed hogs “pot pigs”.

Von Schneidau, owner of BB Ranch located in Seattle, specializes in organic and grass-fed meats including pork. The pot pork isn’t the first unique product that BB Ranch has had on the menu. In addition to Bucking Boar Farms feeding marijuana to hogs, they’ve also tried feeding vodka grains to pigs.