Home of World-Famous Pork

Virginia is the world’s largest producer of pork. The state’s pork industry can be traced back to the Jamestown settlement, which imported the first domesticated hogs with one of the earliest resupply shipments.

The town of Smithfield, first settled in 1624, became colonial Virginia’s major area for pork processing.

By the 1700s, Virginia pork was being bartered to the West Indies for such staples as molasses, sugar, and rum.

From the West Indies, Virginia pork was shipped to Europe, where it achieved a reputation for quality and taste. In fact, Virginia hams were known to grace the tables of European royalty.