Because you can feed pigs things that no other commercial animal will eat. There's an episode of “dirty jobs” where they visit a pig farm. It involves turning Las Vegas buffet leftovers and such into pureed, strained, boiled pig feed. Additionally I know that my local market gives all thier vegetable waste to a pig farmer as well. read more
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts go on sale routinely for $1.99/lb. Whole chickens are obviously cheaper than that. Bacon is ridiculously expensive anymore even for the cheapest I can find. Pork chops, whole loins, ribs, etc. are all well over $2.00/lb. usually. read more
Pork and chicken are usually reasonably priced. And check on turkey. I'm not fond of it, but know several people who have switched from ground beef to ground turkey and swear it's not so different and much cheaper in tacos, enchiladas, etc. read more