Poggio Cappiano can supply acorns as pig feed. If you contact the farm far enough in advance, you can determine quantities, schedule orders, and decide on the type of packaging.
We will be happy to provide you with quotes. If you are interested, please contact us by August/September, so that we can fit you into our delivery schedule.

Why acorns?

Acorns are historically associated with pasturing pigs, and this special product of the forests has always been used as feed.
In recent decades, radical changes in pork farming methods, which have gone from semi-wild or barn-raised conditions to very intensive techniques, transforming a product with close regional ties into a landless industry, has excluded this precious food source from the diet of pigs on many farms.
And yet, as the pursuit of quality has become increasingly important, with the reassessment and fine-tuning of ancient agricultural methods and the spread of organic farming, which includes these concepts, this kind of food source has also been rediscovered, and its effectiveness has been confirmed by farms that regularly use acorns in addition to other feeds that provide more protein.
Whole acorns, the nuts just as they are found by animals during the long autumn months and the early winter, are a food source that can be used without limits, for any breed of domestic pig.
When pigs were fed with food by-products and waste, this food was used to finish off the fattening process.
Farmers took advantage of the abundance of this product in the wild, since it occurred precisely in the autumn and winter period that preceded and coincided with butchering and processing. Some species of oak contain considerable amounts of tannin, a substance that generally makes foods unappetizing to animals, but this is not true for pigs, which can withstand even high percentages of it.
In the past, acorns were treated by soaking them in tanks of water to reduce the level of these substances, but some studies have shown tannins to have antiparasitic properties (especially against worms); nevertheless, soaking acorns improves their digestibility and the nutritional value.
"In vivo" studies of the digestibility of whole acorns have demonstrated that their nutritional value in terms of digestible energy (kcal/kg) is very high for pig diets, and is therefore comparable to other high-energy feeds.
Another factor, no less significant, is the acidity profile of acorns, which is unusual compared to other plant ingredients normally used in animal feed; it shows a high content of oleic acid and a relatively low amount of linoleic acid and other saturated fats.
For pigs, especially the Cinta Senese breed, in which cuts like lardo and pancetta are very valuable, the quality of the fat is of fundamental importance because it affects the quality of the entire seasoned product.
The quality of pork fat is greatly influenced by the varied diet provided by semi-wild conditions; one need only consider the different nutritional qualities of acorns and chestnuts compared to barley, the feed normally used in intensive farming.
Acorns and chestnuts show fundamental differences in terms of a higher content of monounsaturated fatty acids, particularly oleic acid.
Free-range pork contains a higher percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids. This special acidity profile leads to higher nutritional quality in the fat of pigs raised in semi-wild conditions.