Ultrasound: The Key to Consistency in Kunekune Pork Production
When your breeding goals include more than just cute heritage hogs—when you want consistent, high‑quality pork every time—you need tools and metrics beyond visual appraisal. At Meadowlark Farm, ultrasound has become one of our most powerful tools in transforming a beautifully diverse but inconsistent Kunekune herd into one that can reliably produce meat hogs worthy of respect.
Why Ultrasound Matters
Kunekunes are uniquely variable. Within the breed you’ll find pigs that top out at 100 lb at a year, and others that easily breach 300 lb in the same time. Some lines partition almost all feed into fat, others are surprisingly efficient at muscle growth. For a hobbyist, variation is interesting. For a producer, variation is risk.
In pork production, consistency is king. Customers, processors, and chefs expect predictable yield, fat content, and meat quality. If every hog is different, margins tighten, and reputations falter.
Ultrasound gives us a nonlethal window into the carcass of a live animal: a way to “peek inside” without slaughtering. Rather than cull by guesswork or rear offspring only to find surprises, we use objective numbers—loin depth, backfat, intramuscular fat, total weight—to inform which animals stay and which ones go.
Our Ultrasound Journey
We began this process at the first Kunekune Heartland show in fall 2019. From day one, we pledged to let ultrasound guide our breeding decisions. Initially, we contracted with a local veterinarian to scan some of our stock, but as we refined our goals, we knew we needed someone with deep swine expertise and commitment to data integrity.
That’s when we found and connected with Dallas McDermott (Des Moines, Iowa). Dallas has become a linchpin for our breeding program.
Dallas has a background in advanced radiographic and imaging work with livestock.
He was among the early adopters of X‑ray and ultrasound techniques for meat animals in Iowa, helping pave the way for modern scanning practices.
He also contributes to software development for live‑animal carcass prediction: refining algorithms and user interfaces so we get more accurate, actionable data from every scan.
We consider Dallas a rare find—a technician who can travel, scan, interpret, troubleshoot, and advocate for the bigger vision. His scans aren’t just services; they’re partnership in genetic improvement.
(If any readers know more about Dallas’s timeline or published work, we’d be glad to hear it—he deserves more recognition.)
What We Scan—and Why
When Dallas scans our pigs, he—and we—look at five core traits:
Live weight — Establishes the size baseline.
Backfat thickness — Controls external fat deposition and efficiency.
Loin eye (depth at the 10th rib) — A classic predictor of chop size (rib and loin).
Loin area — Gives a fuller picture than the single rib eye measurement.
Intramuscular fat (IMF / marbling) — Critical for eating quality, juiciness, and flavor.
These traits, together, help us identify hogs that are not just big, but efficient, meaty, and flavorful.
Yes, ultrasound is not cheap. But we believe it's fully worth it. Our guiding principle is Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, do it with all your heart … as if for the Lord and not for men.” If we’re going to put our name on a hog, we want to be proud of the genetics, the pork, and the consistency.
How It Changed Our Practice
Before ultrasound, I weighed pigs monthly to estimate growth curves. Some would hit 192, some 198, occasionally one made 200 or more. But gains were always uncertain.
Now, I rarely weigh until we approach one year—when each gilt or boar is measured for carcass merit. If a pig doesn’t comfortably exceed 200 lb (and in our program, we’re pushing toward 240+), it doesn’t stay. If its backfat is too thick, if loin area is subpar, if IMF is missing—out it goes.
Let me introduce you to Marvin, one of our rising stars. Marvin is from our Mahia Love line (which ties back to some of our foundation stock). At 13 months and 11 days:
Weight: 312 lb
Loin eye: 2.43″
Loin area: 5.18 in²
He isn’t perfect—but he’s proof that we’re trending in the right direction. We’re moving our herd toward reliable, feed‐efficient hogs with high meat yield and flavor.
Challenges, Lessons, and Tips
Calibration & consistency: Having the same technician scan reliably is crucial. Slight probe angle changes or misplacement can skew data.
Age standardization: We aim to scan at one year (or a tight window) so comparisons are meaningful.
Record keeping: Pair ultrasound data with pedigrees, feed records, and growth history. Over time you build a predictive model for your lines.
Selection pressure: Be ruthless. Sometimes a beautiful pig by appearance will disappoint in scans. That’s okay—objectivity must guide decisions.
Communication with buyers: Use your data to educate customers or fellow breeders. Publishing scan results (with pedigree) builds credibility around your selection program.
The Broader Context: Breed Improvement in Kunekunes
We aren’t alone in seeing the need for carcass‐based metrics in Kunekune breeding. A growing number of forward-thinking breeders are adopting ultrasound to improve predictability, efficiency, and pork quality in their herds.
Mitchell Eastwood of Puget Sound Pastures is one of those voices leading the charge. Like us at Meadowlark Farm, Mitchell understands that data-driven selection—especially through ultrasound—is the only way to take Kunekune pork from “niche curiosity” to “premium product.” His commitment to scanning and tracking carcass traits reinforces the shared vision of building a more consistent, efficient, and high-quality Kunekune for the future. Mitchell's work in the Pacific Northwest pairs well with our mission in the Midwest, and we're proud to be part of the same movement.
The International Kunekune Hog Registry / Kunekune Pork Producers (IKHR/IKPP) has also launched a Carcass Merit Initiative. Under this program, hogs scanned at one year generate loin depth, backfat, and weight data submitted to a BLUP (Best Linear Unbiased Prediction) system. High-performing hogs may earn a “200 in 12” certification on their pedigree—an easy, objective signal to other breeders and buyers that an animal’s performance meets or exceeds national benchmarks.
This shift—from eye-balling to evidence—is what elevates the Kunekune from a hobby breed to a serious pork contender.
Closing Thoughts
If you raise Kunekunes just for fun, ultrasounding might seem excessive, but for anyone wanting to take heritage pork seriously—whether for small-scale marketplace, farm store, or artisan customers—ultrasound is not an option but a necessity.
By combining careful selection, rigorous scanning, and thoughtful culling, we are forging a herd that can consistently hit benchmarks in size, proper fat to meat ratio, and flavor. We believe that doing the work—with transparency, data, and integrity—is part of good stewardship, and in doing so, we trust that the pork, and the reputation, will follow.