Zero-Stress Field Harvest
Respectful. Responsible. Honorable. Peaceful.
Honoring the animal even to death has lived deep within our bones. Though never easy to discuss, death is a vital piece of the cycle of life; one that cannot be ignored.
Our Field Harvest Film
We collaborated with EPIC Provisions and Donnie Vincent of SICMANTA to produce a film about our field harvest process. No other meat company would be willing to produce a film of this nature. However, we humbly share our ultra-respectful method through this film as we feel it provides greater appreciation for our food as well as being a beacon of light in a predominantly dark space. If you're interested in a deeper understanding, we encourage you to watch the film.
"It's the most peaceful process one could imagine."
- Animal Welfare Auditor
Nature can be cruel. Death in the wild is ushered in by slow starvation, life lost by horn, tooth, fang, or claw, drowning, merciless weather, dogged disease. As an extension of our human responsibility, we feel we have the opportunity to not only help provide the necessary elements of a life well-lived, but, we also have the ability to eliminate suffering at the end of the life cycle.
Our zero stress field harvest is a peaceful harvest which honors and dignifies the animal while better preserving a high quality eating experience. Field harvest is certainly less efficient than industry-standard assembly line slaughter systems but an animal's quality of life, down to the final millisecond, is nonnegotiable.
Regeneratively raised, 100% Grass Fed & Finished Bison is the most nutritent-dense protein on the planet. But, the biggest barrier to consuming meat protein for conscious consumers is not the nutritional panel,
it's the point of death.
Cattle, chicken, pork, turkey, & lamb cannot be legally field harvested while Bison & Elk currently make up less than .002% of our American protein consumption which makes it easy to see how all meat can become demonized due to standard CAFO production & assembly slaughter practices.
Our various practices really set us apart and our respectful field harvest is no exception. Our field harvest process brings great integrity to the end-of-life cycle in a way that we, as consumers, can feel really good about consuming meat protein.
Currently, our Bison & Elk are 100% field harvested. Something we are DARN PROUD OF!! Yet, while we celebrate this internally, we desire to potentially become a case study that can prove the effectiveness of field harvest in reducing animal stress and risk of injury as well as human stress and risk of injury in order for more species to be acceptibly field harvested. We believe all animals deserve dignity for the entirety of their lives.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a zero-stress field harvest?
It's exactly what it sounds like. No fear, no panic, and no unnecessary suffering to the animal, right up until its final moment. We bring the process to the animal instead of the animal into a facility. Stress factors like small holding pens, alleyways, and unfamiliar people and surroundings can spike cortisol levels, tighten muscles, and quietly degrade the quality of the meat before the animal ever reaches harvest.
Why does stress at the end of an animal's life even matter?
It can change everything about the meat itself, and honestly, it changes something in us too. A calm animal means better pH, better texture, better flavor. But beyond the science, we simply believe an animal's final moments shouldn't be filled with fear.
Is field harvest more humane than a typical slaughterhouse?
We'd argue it's not even close. Assembly-line processing wasn't built with the animal's dignity in mind, it was built for speed. Field harvest is certainly less efficient than industry-standard assembly line slaughter systems but an animal's quality of life, down to the final millisecond, is nonnegotiable.
How do you ensure animal welfare?
Mostly by keeping things as close to natural as possible. Our team performs the harvest right in the animal's home environment, using skilled professionals rather than an assembly-line process. The bison never experience the crowding and pressure that defines conventional slaughter.