American Landrace

Did You Know?

• The American Landrace has 16 or 17 ribs.
• Sows lactate peaks at five weeks, later than in most breeds.
• The ears are large and heavy and hang forward close to the snout.

History

The American Landrace pig traces its roots to the Danish Landrace, which was developed in the late 1800s by crossing native Danish pigs with British Large White stock. In 1934, the U.S. Department of Agriculture brought in twenty-four of these Danish pigs for research and cross-breeding, under the condition that they could not be used to establish a purebred commercial line. That ban ended in 1949, and the American Landrace Association formed the following year. The breed was built from pure Danish stock or animals with a small amount of Poland China ancestry. To prevent inbreeding, thirty-eight pigs with Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian Landrace backgrounds were imported from Norway in 1954. The breed association is one of four within the National Swine Registry, alongside groups for the American Yorkshire, Duroc, and Hampshire. By 2016, the American Landrace ranked as the fourth most common pig breed in the United States, behind those three. A population count was reported for 2023, which was lower than the breed's peak in 2017. As of 2025, its conservation status is listed as "not at risk."