It’s not often that I get to be the breaker of breaking news, so you can imagine my delight — some might say akin to a pig in mud — when my editor assigned me the story of the amazing Methow Valley Mickey Mouse Piglet.
I know, right?!
From George Orwell’s Napolean, Snowball, and Squealer to E.B. White’s Wilbur to Jim Henson and Bonnie Erickson’s Miss Piggy, pigs lead a storied existence in children’s fiction. Now, one local family is living in its own “some pig” narrative.
On October 13, the Esmiol family of Star E Ranch in Twisp discovered in a new litter of pigs a piglet with a jet-black marking on its hip shaped exactly like the head of Mickey Mouse. If you were making Mickey Mouse pancakes, you could not ask for a better template for a pancake mold than this piglet’s markings.
Minnie was the runt of her litter, but came with a distinguishing mark.
Hunter Esmiol told me that although he isn’t much of a Disney person, his wife, Dani, is, as are the couple’s four school-aged children, Alice, Paisley, Olivia, and Mikey. “The kids were so excited when they saw the piglet — who was the runt of the litter,” Hunter said. “I stood no chance getting to name the pig; they named her ‘Minnie.’”
The Esmiol family got into raising pigs through the Methow Valley Cascaders 4-H Club. Hunter participated in 4-H and Future Farmers of America when he was growing up in Texas and was enthusiastic about getting his kids involved in 4-H in the Methow Valley.
“Hilary [Kaltenbach] and the other leaders have done a phenomenal job,” he said. “It’s about leadership and building competency; it’s also about taking responsibility.”
Hunter hadn’t raised pigs as a kid, but through 4-H and under the tutelage of Bill White, the Esmiol family learned about raising pigs for the county fair and for pork. In fact, the family has feeder piglets from fall litters available for those who want to raise pigs of their own ($125, call or text (509) 557-0744).
The origins of Star E Ranch’s name goes back to Hunter and Dani’s love story. When they first started dating, they would go out on winter nights or on road trips to stargaze.
“We’ve always loved the night sky,” Hunter said. The night sky, coupled with the family’s last name, provided inspiration for the ranch’s name.
Looking ahead, Minnie will have a social media presence of her own, working with her marketing manager, Olivia (on Instagram @star.eranch). “She’s unique, we’re going to have some fun with it,” Hunter said.
