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Heritage Pig
Meishan
- Role
- Forest-pastured pork and developing breeding stock.
- Character
- Extremely docile, slow-finished, and deeply marbled.
- Why preserve
- A critically rare agricultural genetic resource suited to forage-rich, low-stress systems.
Our Story
Why a doctor decided to farm
Swift Spring Hollow is a physician-run heritage farm in Cunningham, Tennessee, built around a simple conviction: soil health, animal welfare, human health, and watershed care belong in the same conversation.
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Physician perspective
The Physician’s Perspective
Swift Spring Hollow began with a simple question: what would it take to know — really know — where the food on our table came from? As a practicing physician, I spent years treating a recurring pattern of metabolic dysfunction and chronic inflammation. I saw firsthand that these were not just random diagnoses, but the predictable outcomes of an industrial food system that prioritizes shelf-life over human life.
The answer was a small farm in Cunningham, Tennessee, where the spring still runs clear and the land remembers what it used to be. We chose heritage breeds — including Meishan pigs and Silver Fox rabbits — because they carry character, temperament, and genetic usefulness. We chose regenerative practices because soil health is the baseline for human health.
This farm is a direct response to the failures of the industrial food chain. It is an ongoing experiment in transparency and regenerative stewardship, built around the belief that trust should not require a middleman.
Read the full physician-led farming essay →
Founder & Steward
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Five generations
Five Generations. One Small Farm.
Stewardship is not a business plan. It is a family legacy.
In an era of industrial agriculture, Swift Spring Hollow is an anomaly: five living generations sharing one piece of land across four households. Every decision — from the seed we plant to the way we treat our animals — is made with the awareness that we are borrowing this land from our children.
The children on this farm are learning the language of the land long before they can read it in a book: the smell of healthy soil, the behavior of a contented pig, and the cycle of the seasons.
We do not optimize for quarterly profit. We optimize for a century of health, clear water, healthy animals, and a farm the next generation can inherit with pride.
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Heritage registry
Registry of Preservation
Two heritage lines. One ethic.
The Meishan and Silver Fox programs are different in scale, but joined by the same commitment: preserve animals with character, usefulness, temperament, and a place in resilient small-farm systems. In an industrial world that favors consistency over character, preserving rare lines is an act of care.
02
Heritage Rabbit
Silver Fox
- Role
- Next-generation preservation and breeding stock by inquiry.
- Character
- Exceptionally gentle, social, and strikingly silvered.
- Why preserve
- A rare heritage breed kept for character, continuity, and genetic legacy instead of industrial uniformity.
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How we farm
Non-negotiables
How We Farm
A commitment to the land, the animal, and the future.
Forest Pasture & No Confinement
The industrial model relies on confinement; we rely on nature. Our pigs root through forest floors and our hens genuinely range across the land, expressing natural behaviors with lower stress.
The Art of Silvopasture
We integrate trees, forage, and livestock into a single symbiotic system. Trees provide shade and shelter while animals naturally fertilize the soil.
Watershed Stewardship
The springs are the heart of the property’s hydrology. We prioritize soil health and careful land management so the water remains protected.
Welfare Non-Negotiables
Animal welfare is a medical and ethical imperative. We avoid hormones, unnecessary antibiotics, and systems that require chemical intervention to function.
Radical Transparency
Trust is the only currency that matters in direct-to-consumer farming. We do not hide behind a brand; we stand behind our work.
The Long View
We do not plan for next quarter; we plan for the next generation. Every action is filtered through the lens of long-term sustainability.
Ordering
Want to know the farm behind your food?
Message us for current product availability, seasonal updates, and future CSA interest. We sell directly and keep relationships personal.