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Long Ranch capitalized on interest in local food by selling pork directly from its Manteca, California, farm and offering customers choices and butchering as part of the purchase. In a 2017 profile, owner Scott Long said the business earned more than commodity prices by pairing its pigs with service, while brokers connected some of its pork to high-end markets and restaurants. The ranch’s current site still lists an on-farm store, whole-hog sales and partner outlets, but the 2017 prices and operating figures are historical—not current quotes.
How Long Ranch reached customers
Long Ranch is a hog operation in Manteca, California, whose model combines farm-direct sales with other routes to market. The 2017 Agriculture.com / Successful Farming profile described customers visiting the ranch to select pigs, often for parties. Some customers also took part in butchering as a cultural experience. Long said almost all of the business then came through word of mouth.
The ranch also sold live pigs to brokers, who branded the farm-sourced pork for high-end markets and restaurants. The 2017 story reported that this channel had recently earned the ranch a “Best Pork Chop in Los Angeles” award. That recognition and broker arrangement are historical details from the feature, not independently confirmed current claims.
Long Ranch’s current-facing official website continues to describe an on-farm store, whole-pig sales and pork products. Its partners page lists retailers and restaurants carrying or serving its pork. The site confirms these public-facing channels but does not establish delivery availability or a referral program.
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Why customers paid more than commodity prices
The 2017 profile linked Long Ranch’s premium to product choice and service, rather than presenting it as a simple price comparison. Long said customers could buy pigs at different sizes and choose cuts, with butchering included. “We get quite a bit over the market prices, but we’re including a service, too, and that’s included in the price – the butchering and everything,” he said in the feature.
| 2017 reported figure | What it described |
|---|---|
| 25% to 30% above commodity pig prices | The premium varied with pig weights, according to the 2017 feature. |
| $1.40 per pound | Average price for roaster pigs weighing 80 to 100 pounds; the story compared this with a commodity price of about $1 per pound and said butchering and related service were included. |
| $7 per pound | Bacon price at the farm shop, described in the feature as about 30% above the national average. |
These are prices and comparisons reported in 2017, not present-day Long Ranch prices. Long summarized the business’s dependence on differentiation this way: “We wouldn’t be in business if we were selling on the open market.”
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What the 2017 operation required
The profile portrayed a labor- and management-intensive business. Long Ranch bought feeder pigs from a nearby producer and raised a 50-50 Yorkshire-Duroc cross; Long attributed higher marbling to the Duroc cross. Pigs were kept in straw-bedded hoop buildings, with groups taken out at different sizes for roasting or other customer needs. The final pigs were taken at roughly 240 to 250 pounds.
- The farm had 16 hoop buildings with deep-bedded straw, according to the 2017 feature.
- It used six rations based on Kansas State University formulas, custom-mixed and delivered by a nearby feed mill.
- The story reported average pig gain of 1.8 pounds per day on about 2.3 pounds of feed.
- The farm’s small state-inspected slaughter facility processed 10,000 pigs annually at the time of the 2017 report.
- Four full-time butchers worked in the slaughter facility.
The article also identified California environmental compliance demands for animal agriculture and difficult, expensive insurance as burdens on the operation. Those demands help explain why a direct-sales premium had to cover more than the animal itself: labor, processing, service and compliance all mattered.
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- Boneless Pork Chops, 2 per package, 13-ounces total
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Long Ranch’s undated about page now describes an all-in/all-out system, feed made from corn, soy, vitamins and minerals without antibiotics, temperature management using fans, sprinklers and curtains, and wheat straw bedding recycled into compost. The page also states that the ranch markets approximately 8,000 hogs annually. Because the site does not date that figure, it should be understood as its current-facing statement, not as a directly comparable update to the 10,000 pigs processed annually reported in 2017. “Marketed” and “processed” are not necessarily the same measure.
What the “booming trend” claim does—and does not—show
The 2017 feature framed Long Ranch’s strategy against rising interest in farm-to-fork food. Erica Sanko, then executive director of the California Pork Producers Association, said in the story: “The farm-to-fork movement in California and on the West Coast continues to grow at a rapid pace.” She added that it was “successfully bringing awareness of the regional agriculture and livestock industry to today’s consumers.”
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That is a statement from a 2017 interview, not a current market-wide growth statistic. The available current Long Ranch pages establish that the business presents an active farm store and partner network; they do not quantify farmers-market growth today. The headline’s “booming” language should therefore be read as the historical framing of the 2017 feature, not as evidence of present-day market growth.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What shoppers can find at Long Ranch now
The current official products page lists fresh pork cuts including tenderloin, chops, ribs, shoulder, hocks, belly, jowl, back fat, skin and ground pork. It also lists sausages, smokehouse items such as bacon and ham, seasoned products and whole pigs. The store says it carries a small selection of chicken and beef as well.
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- Tenderloin, 15-ounces, one per package
- Never-ever treated or given antibiotics or added hormones; no gestation crates or farrowing crates
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The website lists the store at 5203 W. Ripon Road, Manteca, California. Its hours page gives retail hours as Wednesday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. It lists Monday and Tuesday as closed, gives separate hours for whole-hog sales and advises calling for holiday hours. Schedules and product availability can change, so check the official hours page or contact the ranch before making a trip.
What to compare when evaluating a farm-direct pork business
Long Ranch’s example suggests useful questions for shoppers comparing local meat options, without establishing that one farm-direct model is universally better than another:
Quick Recap
- Sales channel: Does the farm sell directly, through an on-farm shop, through brokers, or through retailers and restaurants?
- Format and size: Can customers buy individual cuts, a whole animal, or a pig prepared for a particular event?
- Processing and service: Is butchering included in the quoted price, or charged separately?
- Price basis: Is the price being compared with a commodity hog, a retail cut, or a bundled purchase that includes processing?
- Operating demands: What labor, processing capacity, insurance and regulatory requirements must the business support?
- Customer fit: Is there a nearby market for whole pigs, locally raised meat or farmers-market-style purchasing?
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
