100% Grass Fed & Finished Beef

GRASSFED & GRASS FINISHED

  • Animals must stay on their mother’s milk for at least 180 days
  • After weaning, diets can include: Grasses, Legumes, Hay, Forbs, Stored grass/legume feeds (e.g., haylage, baleage)
  • If grazing planted annuals seed heads must not be formed or mature (e.g., no mature corn)
  • All planted feed must be Non-GMO
  • Not allowed in the diet: Grains, Animal by-products, Fish by-products, Corn silage, Food industry waste
  • Allowed with approval: Non-starch supplements, Only for maintaining growth during drought or extreme weather conditions

REGENERATIVELY RAISED

Hickory Nut Gap Farms cattle are rotationally grazed on pasture, which has been shown to improve soil health and reduce carbon emissions.

All farms implement at least 2 of the regenerative practices below which help remove carbon from the atmosphere, such as:

  • Reduced or no tillage
  • Cover cropping
  • Planned, rotational grazing
  • Integrating crops and other livestock
  • Limiting synthetic inputs

A large part of our supply chain is also monitored for Ecological Outcome Verification. Ecological Outcome Verification (EOV) is a program that measures the actual health of a farm’s land, such as soil, plants, and biodiversity, to see if farming practices are truly improving the environment over time.

PASTURE RAISED

  • Pasture raised means animals spend most of their lives on living, vegetative pasture with at least 25% vegetative cover (not confined or on bare ground).

    Preference is given to farmers who use:
    Organic pasture management
    Rotational grazing
    Holistic pasture practices


  • Animals live outdoors on pasture year-round, except during extreme or emergency weather.

NO FEEDLOTS, EVER

  • Our farms never confine animals - on feedlots or otherwise!

NO ANTIBIOTICS, NO ADDED HORMONES

  • Animals that have been administered sub-therapeutic antibiotics or implanted with hormones are not eligible for this program.
  • In specific circumstances, that is in the best interest of the animal, an animal may be administered therapeutic antibiotics. These animals are not eligible for this program.


BORN, RAISED, AND HARVESTED ON USA ON FAMILY FARMS

All Hickory Nut Gap Farms cattle are born, raised and harvested in the USA.

Animals are identified at the earliest opportunity following birth by a producer-determined animal identification system. Each animal’s record must include breed, ear tag or unique identification number, date of birth, and owner. Producer records that trace an animal from birth to harvest must be kept.

  • This is in accordance with AGA Standards. Learn more here: https://www.americangrassfed.org/about-us/our-standards/

We never allow genetically engineered and or cloned animals in our supply chain.

We know our farmers and their families, and we work directly with them to source the best domestic cattle.



Read the full Hickory Nut Gap Farms cattle protocol

Grassfed Beef Standards

PASTURE RAISED PORK

PASTURE RAISED

Pasture raised means animals spend most of their lives on living, vegetative pasture (not confined or on bare ground).

Hogs are raised outdoors on pasture in an environment that lets them act naturally (rooting, exploring, playing).

They always have access to:

  • Food
  • Clean water
  • A dry place to lie down

In colder or harsh weather, hogs can be kept in an open-air barn with deep bedding:

  • Bedding must be at least 12 inches deep
  • Each hog must have enough space to lie fully on its side without touching others
  • Bedding should always be clean, dry, and suitable for natural behaviors like rooting and playing
  • Using Effective Microorganisms (EM) in bedding is encouraged.

Short-term confinement (where animals can’t turn around) is allowed only for:

  • Vaccination
  • Veterinary care
  • Loading or sorting animals

NO FEEDLOTS, EVER

  • Our farms never keep animals in confinement or on feedlots. They always have the space to exhibit their natural behaviors.

NO ANTIBIOTICS, NO ADDED HORMONES

Hogs sold to HNG have never received antibiotics at any point (including in feed, water, or injections).

Animal welfare comes first:

  • Sick or injured animals must always be treated.
  • If antibiotics are needed, they should be used—even though the animal will no longer qualify for the Hickory Nut Gap Farms program.

Any hog treated with antibiotics is:

  • Clearly marked or separated from the herd
  • Never sold to Hickory Nut Gap Farms

All finished weight and weaned weight hogs sold to HNG can never have been administered any type of growth promoting hormones, beta-agonists, ionophores, or carbadox.


BORN, RAISED, AND HARVESTED ON USA FAMILY FARMS

All Hickory Nut Gap Farms pigs are born, raised and harvested in the USA.

We know our farmers and their families, and we work directly to build out a consistent, transparent pork supply chain.

Read the full Hickory Nut Gap Farms Pasture Raised Pork Protocol

Pasture Raised Pork Standards