Asheville, North Carolina-based Hickory Nut Gap Farms has announced its grassfed, regeneratively raised ground beef as the (un)official burger of Earth Day.
Hickory Nut Gap Farms is celebrating the 2o years of climate positive impact that it has made as a brand of grassfed and pasture-raised meats. This announcement follows the recent U.S. Department of Agriculture approval of Hickory Nut Gap’s “Regeneratively Raised” label claim, signifying its commitment to farming practices to reduce carbon emissions and improve soil quality.
“Our regenerative farming practices have been improving soil health and reducing carbon emissions for more than two decades,” said Jamie Ager, co-founder and fourth generation family farmer at Hickory Nut Gap Farms. “Why shouldn’t we be the Official Burger of Earth Day? And if you eat grassfed ground beef often … then everyday can be Earth Day.”
The (un)official burger of Earth Day event continues the partnership between Hickory Nut Gap Farms and Earth Fare supermarkets in 25 locations from Michigan to Florida. The promotion, running through April 29, will create awareness about the impact consumers can have on improving the environment with their food choices.
Additionally, Earth Fare shoppers will be given the chance to win planet-smart prizes including a Wood Pellet Grill, $200 in Hickory Nut Gap meats and an Earth Fare “Build a Better Burger” meal kit.
“Earth Fare has been a proud supporter and partner of Hickory Nut Gap for over 17 years. Our companies have an aligned mission of providing the cleanest, healthiest and authentically sustainable 100 percent grass-fed beef to our guests every day. We are committed to making it easy for everyone to have access to this top-tier quality beef in all of our markets,” said Laurie Aker, director of marketing for Earth Fare.
The concept of regenerative farming has become more popular in food marketing over the past year, but converting to a true planned rotational grazing and regenerative operation takes a significant commitment in time, money and experience.
Hickory Nut Gap Farms has made that commitment to:
- Planned rotational grazing to ensure pastures have the necessary recovery time between grazing events;
- Cover cropping;
- Polycultures instead of monocultures when possible;
- Reduced tillage in crop land;
- Integrating crops and cattle;
- Minimizing or eliminating synthetic inputs and replacing with organic (chicken litter versus synthetic fertilizer);
- Crop rotation (Breaks pest cycles and has potential to improve soil health);
- Integrated pest management through healthy buffer zones and riparian areas (beneficial insects and microfauna naturally prevents crop damage); and
- Silvopasture and tree integration where possible.
Hickory Nut Gap Farms’ new labels with “Regeneratively Raised” claims are currently in production and will be featured in the Earth Day promotion at Earth Fare.
Hickory Nut Gap is a producer of regeneratively raised, grassfed beef and pastured pork based in Western North Carolina. The company believes that the best-tasting, most nutritious meats come from healthy animals, raised on high-quality pasture. Since 1916, Hickory Nut Gap has been building community through agriculture and continues to expand its customer base.
For more information visit HickoryNutGap.com.
