We're working on a brand refresh, but we haven't gotten to all of our products quite yet. We'll roll out all of our new labels throughout 2026, so keep an eye out for the new stuff. Both online and in stores!

Hickory Nut Gap works with regional cattle and hog farmers to bring their 100% grassfed beef and pasture raised pork to market. We are proud of our farmer relationships and the supply chain that we've built. Hickory Nut Gap Farm is part of this supply chain, as well as animals that Hickory Nut Gap owns on leased land across North Carolina. We raise cattle, hogs, chickens, and turkeys at the farm in Fairview.

All of the farms we work with use our farming protocols.

• Pasture Raised Pork Standards
• Grassfed Beef Standards

Among other requirements, all cattle are 100% grassfed and grass finished and hogs are pasture raised. We do not allow antibiotics or added hormones in our supply chain.

Our farm partners are primarily located in NC, SC, TN, GA, VA, and KY.

Hickory Nut Gap's 100% Grassfed Beef comes from livestock that begin their lives nursing and grazing. After weaning, our cattle remain on pasture, eating grass, hay, or baleage, depending on the season.

“Grassfed” is a general term that can also include animals that are grassfed and then grain-finished. That’s why it’s important to understand the standards a company follows in order to make an informed food choice.

You can feel confident that Hickory Nut Gap beef is 100% grassfed and 100% grass finished.

While our beef is 100% grassfed and grass finished, we do not hold an organic certification. Many of the standards that we practice mirror or go beyond organic protocols. You can read more about our standards by visiting this page.

• Grassfed Beef Standards

Our pigs are pasture raised and eat a free choice grain diet. They enjoy what they root and forage on their own in the environment in which they are raised which can include acorns and tubers.

Short Answer: No, there are no MRNA vaccines in use or that would be applicable for our pastured operations for any species and we don't foresee their use in the future. 

Long Answer: For other routine vaccines, Hickory Nut Gap does not mandate a vaccination protocol for our grass-fed beef or pastured pork supply chain, but we (and GAP) do mandate that medical records of vaccines must be kept by the farmer. Vaccination plans are generally made with each herd's veterinarian as they can be region specific.

• Generally, it is recommended to administer beef cattle two classes of vaccine: a respiratory illness vaccine and a clostridial (soil-born illness) vaccine. For example, on our home farm in Fairview our animals receive Calvary 9 and Covexin 8, or a suitable substitute as recommended by our veterinarian.
• Our sows receive an annual vaccine called Farrowsure Gold to prevent against soil born and respiratory disease that cause miscarriage and still birth. Their piglets are not vaccinated as they receive immunity through the sow's milk. All of these vaccine products use a traditional killed/modified virus in non-active carrier solution.   
• Our meat poultry do not receive any vaccines. They do receive Corid (amprolium), a coccidiostat, to prevent death by diarrhea when they are two weeks old.
• Our layer hens are vaccinated for Marek's disease (a disease carried by wild birds) at one day old.
  

All Hickory Nut Gap beef is currently processed at Marksbury Farm in Lancaster, Kentucky. Our pork is processed by Leidy’s in Pennsylvania, and our salamis are crafted by Tempesta in Chicago, Illinois. Fisher Meats in Indiana produces our meat sticks and hot dogs. Poultry is processed on-site at our farm in Fairview.

For our farm store, we bring back whole hogs from the processor and custom-cut them in-house in our butchery. Chicken and Turkey are also butchered in-house, and some beef is cut here as well, using primals sourced through our wholesale division.

Yes, WNC locals are able to purchase half hogs and quarter cows through our Farm Store website. These items are only available for local pickup at the Farm Store in Fairview, NC.

• Purchase a 1/2 hog
• Purchase a 1/4 cow

All Hickory Nut Gap retail products are gluten free.

*Sometimes our Farm Store produces products that contain gluten, sold only at the Farm Store in Fairvew, NC. Please check with the butchery team at the counter to confirm at the time of purchase.

While we are non-GMO certified by affidavit, we do not hold a third-party certification. Our feed for pigs on our home farm includes non-GMO soybean meal and non-GMO corn. However, it's important to note that some of our growers may use herbicides for field preparation in their no-till planting methods, and occasionally apply fungicides or pesticides during storage at grain elevators.

Regarding glyphosate, we cannot guarantee that our pork is completely free of glyphosate residues. Factors such as field preparation methods, proximity to conventional farms, and shared equipment with conventional farmers may contribute to trace residues. For those seeking products completely free of glyphosate, we recommend considering certified organic producers, who have stringent protocols in place to minimize such exposures.