New York State Fair 'One Thing' Series -- Today's Feature, Swine

Duroc sow with her piglets at the New York State Fair

Pigs and hogs aren't huge in New York state, compared to other animals such as cattle or horses.

In fact, New York ranks 32nd in the country in hogs. Iowa is number one.

According to the Census of Agriculture for 2002, there were 1,527 hog and pig operations in New York state raising 81,886 head of swine. 

The 2007 Census of Agriculture shows more pigs and hogs, with 1,871 operations and 85,741 swine. In 2010, there were about 110,000 pigs and hogs raised in the state, with a total value of $11.8 million.

But compare this to Iowa. About a quarter of all the swine in the country come from Iowa -- in 2002, there were 10,205 hog and pig operations in Iowa and a total of 15,486,531 pigs and hogs being raised.

I talked to Joe Krenzer, of Caledonia, Livingston County, about swine. He raised pigs and hogs for 53 years. He said the 'one thing' he would like the public to know about pigs is "they should eat pork. It's good for you."

According to various nutrition websites, pork is a great source of protein. But you do have to watch out for various cuts that can contain more fat than others. Look for something like pork tenderloin --  3.5 ounce serving has 135 calories and 30 grams of protein, according to sharecare.com.  

Pork is the world's most consumed meat.

By the way, in case you are wondering, there is a difference between a hog and a pig. Hog is the general name for the animal while a pig is a young hog. A gilt is a female that has not yet been bred to have a litter of piglets.