The Berkshire News: Breed Publication of the American Berkshire Association
Profile updated November 2026
The Berkshire News is the breed publication of the American Berkshire Association, which traces its founding to February 25, 1875, and is widely described as the first swine registry established in the world. The association keeps the breed's records in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the Berkshire News carries its news to purebred breeders, show families and pork marketers.
| Publisher | American Berkshire Association |
|---|---|
| Association founded | February 25, 1875, Springfield, Illinois |
| Distinction | Described as the first swine registry in the world |
| Registry home | West Lafayette, Indiana |
| Earlier format | Joint swine breed journal issued from Lebanon, Indiana, into 1995 |
| Breed arrival in U.S. | 1823 |
| Official website | AmericanBerkshire.com |
History of The Berkshire News
Berkshire hogs take their name from the English county of Berkshire, where legend says Oliver Cromwell's army found them while quartered at Reading about three centuries ago. The royal family kept a large Berkshire herd at Windsor Castle, and the first Berkshires reached the United States in 1823. A famous boar named Windsor Castle, imported in 1841, was reported to weigh about 1,000 pounds at maturity.
Breeders and importers met in Springfield, Illinois, and founded the American Berkshire Association on February 25, 1875. Its rules accepted only hogs imported directly from established English herds, or tracing directly to such imports. The association's records and registry are now housed in a Bedford stone building in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Library records at Texas A&M University show a Berkshire News title issued from Lebanon, Indiana, in the 1980s and 1990s, which by 1995 appeared as a combined journal with the Chester White, Poland China and Spotted breed publications, produced with the Poland China Record Association and the American Landrace Association. Holdings run from 1984 through 1995.
The Berkshire News Today
Today the American Berkshire Association lists The Berkshire News among its member services, with the association office as the editorial contact. The publication serves a breed whose reputation for meat quality has grown with the specialty pork market, where Berkshire pork is often sold under the Japanese name Kurobuta.
Small and hobby farmers also favor the breed for its friendly temperament and ease of keeping, which broadens the readership beyond traditional seedstock herds.
What The Berkshire News Is Publishing Now
Breed and registry news
Association business, registrations, transfers and breed promotion from the West Lafayette office.
Shows and sales
Results from junior and open purebred swine shows, consignment sales and breeder herd news.
Pork quality
The breed's marbling and eating quality, and the producers who market Berkshire pork to chefs and consumers.
The Berkshire News Editors and Staff
Individual editors were not named in the sources we reviewed. The publication is produced by:
- American Berkshire Association - Publisher and editorial office
Questions about the publication go to the association office in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Who Reads The Berkshire News
Readers are registered Berkshire breeders, junior exhibitors and their families, and farmers raising Berkshires for premium pork markets. Oklahoma State University's breeds of livestock project describes Berkshires as black with white face and feet, prized for carcass quality and selected for efficient growth and meatiness. Nationally, USDA ERS put 2021 U.S. hog receipts at $28.0 billion.
The Berkshire News reaches breeders who will happily tell you their hogs once lived at Windsor Castle, and they are not wrong. For a lighter take on pig people, farm.FM offers farm satire and farm humor in a dry rural voice, with ranch humor on the side. Its farm jokes are well marbled and, unlike a show pig, never need a wash before the ring.
The outlet behind those laughs, farm.FM, is the nation's first satirical farm site, complete with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers. A farm.FM humorist's archive shows what a week of it looks like.
The Berkshire News Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Oklahoma State University: Berkshire swine - breed history and the 1875 association.
- Texas A&M University Libraries: Berkshire news - catalog record for the earlier joint breed journal.
- Hobby Farms: The Berkshire pig - a breed profile for small farmers.
- USDA ERS: Animal product receipts - hogs in the U.S. livestock economy.
- USDA NASS Quick Stats - national and state hog statistics.
The Berkshire News FAQ
Who publishes The Berkshire News?
The American Berkshire Association, headquartered in West Lafayette, Indiana.
When was the American Berkshire Association founded?
On February 25, 1875, in Springfield, Illinois. It is described as the world's first swine registry.
What does The Berkshire News cover?
Breed and registry news, shows, sales and Berkshire pork quality.
What are Berkshire hogs known for?
Black coats with white face and feet, and well-marbled, high-quality pork.
Backed by the oldest swine registry in the world, The Berkshire News keeps Berkshire breeders connected to their association and their breed.