H&H Farm – Pink Hill, NC

Hugh Miller and Hugh Miller, Jr. are third and fourth generation farmers in Pink Hill, North Carolina. Hugh began raising pigs at the age of nine, while Hugh Jr. began raising livestock when he was 12. Today, father and son work together on the family farm, where they grow row crops and raise Certified Animal Welfare Approved by A Greener World (AGW) and Certified Non-GMO by AGW pastured pigs.

The Millers’ sows, which are mixed Landrace, Poland China, Chester White, Yorkshire and Berkshire, are bred with four types of boars. “The boar line that we are now using are all full blood, and consists of a Chester White, Duroc, Berkshire and a Hampshire,” says Hugh Sr. The pigs at H&H Farm are raised outdoors on pasture and range, where they are free to root, forage and wallow as pigs naturally do. This high-welfare management is a fundamental component of AGW certification and is known to have environmental, nutritional, and culinary benefits. “We have taken the extra step to get AGW’s new Certified Non-GMO certification, which shows our desire to be the best that we can.”

Certified Non-GMO by AGW label guarantees food products are not only produced without genetically engineered/modified feed, supplements or ingredients, but also come from animals raised according the highest animal welfare standards in the industry, Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW. It is also the only Non-GMO label that involves meaningful testing protocols for the absence of GMOs—not even Certified Organic offers this assurance!

“We want to know that the hogs we raise are treated well so that we can offer the best product for consumers,” says Hugh Sr. “The Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW and Certified Non-GMO by AGW logos verify our management practices. We want our customers to know that our animals are raised by a set of standards—that not only are they fed right, but they are also handled the right way.”

Hugh Sr. and Jr. are now being joined by the fifth generation of Miller family farmers, Joshua, Hugh Sr.’s grandson, who is preparing to take an interest in the family’s hog operation. Hugh and Hugh Jr. are members of the North Carolina Natural Hog Growers Association, a cooperative of Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW and Certified Non-GMO by AGW hog producers who sell to restaurants, retailers and food processors throughout the region.