American Yorkshire pig

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The American Yorkshire pig is a breed of domestic pig. It is the American version of the Yorkshire pig (now usually known as the English Large White pig), white in color, with erect ears, and the most recorded swine breed in the United States.

The Yorkshire breed was developed in Yorkshire, England, circa 1761. In 1830 the first Yorkshires were imported to the United States, specifically to Ohio, but because of their slow growth rate they did not become popular until the late 1940s. At that time, many large Yorkshires were imported from Canada and England for their ruggedness and favored carcass. The breed then improved rapidly through selection.

Today Yorkshire pigs are found in nearly every American state, with highest populations in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, and Ohio. The modern Yorkshire is muscular with a high proportion of lean meat. Yorkshire data records have been maintained with great diligence, including growth, sow productivity, and backfat formation, representing the largest source of documented livestock performance records in the world.

[edit] Yorkshires in popular culture

One of the best known Yorkshire pigs in popular culture is Arnold Ziffel, a long-running character in the 1960s rural sitcom Green Acres, portrayed by a series of mostly female piglets.

Another popular Yorkshire is Babe, the young and innocent sheep-herding pig of the 1995 film of the same name, played by 48 different trained piglets.

A full-grown hog, Blue Boy, was trained by the cowboy-comedian Will Rogers for use in the 1933 film State Fair; unlike movies and television shows starring fast-growing piglets, Blue Boy was a mature boar, and he had no stunt doubles.