Farms selling direct, near you
Every farm here raises animals on pasture and sells straight to households. Here's the bar a farm has to clear to be listed. Each card's facts come from the farm's Appalachian Grown listing or its own website, and each card shows when those sources were last checked.
The words on the cards How these farms raise meat
Every card on this page carries words like pasture-raised, grass-fed, and regenerative. Some are regulated, most aren't. Here is what each one means and what it doesn't promise. A farm's tags come from its Appalachian Grown listing, kept by ASAP, or from the farm's own website.
- Pasture-raised
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The animals lived outdoors on pasture rather than in a barn or feedlot, with grass as part of what they ate. USDA approves the words on paperwork the packer files describing how the animals were housed; nobody from USDA inspects the farm for the claim.
Doesn't promise: A grass-only diet. Pastured cattle are often finished on grain, and pigs and chickens eat grain on any pasture. It is a housing claim, not a feed claim.
Makes it a promise: Animal Welfare Approved requires pasture or range for the whole life and audits every farm at least once a year.
Here: Burnette Family Farm, Happy Hollow Farms, Jehovah Raah Farm, Shady Brook Farm, Smoky Mountain Mangalitsa, Worley Farms, Sunnybrook Farm, Hickory Nut Gap, Dry Ridge Farm, East Fork Farm, Farmhouse Beef
Sources: USDA FSIS guideline on animal-raising claims (2024) · Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW
- Grass-fed
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For cattle, bison, sheep, and goats only. On a USDA-inspected label it means the animal ate only grass and forage after weaning and never saw a feedlot, and USDA treats "100% grass-fed" as the same claim. The catch is how loosely the words get used off the label: USDA approves the claim on paperwork, a farm's own website is never reviewed, and the marketing standard that once defined the term was withdrawn in 2016.
Doesn't promise: Grass to the end. Ask whether the animal was finished on grass or grain. Pigs and chickens can't be grass-fed at all; for pork and chicken the claim to look for is pasture-raised.
Makes it a promise: The American Grassfed Association and Certified Grassfed by A Greener World both audit a 100% forage diet on pasture.
Here: Happy Hollow Farms, Jehovah Raah Farm, Shady Brook Farm, Carolina Bison, Hickory Nut Gap, Dry Ridge Farm, East Fork Farm, Farmhouse Beef
Sources: USDA FSIS guideline on animal-raising claims (2024) · Federal Register, Jan 12 2016: USDA withdraws the grass-fed marketing standard · American Grassfed Association standards · Certified Grassfed by AGW standards
- 100% grass-fed
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The animal ate nothing but grass, forage, and hay from weaning to processing: no grain finishing, ever. This is what most people picture when they hear grass-fed, and it is the claim that changes the meat: leaner, and the flavor shifts with the season. Farms here say it as "100% grass-fed", "grass-only", or "without grain".
Doesn't promise: Don't read "grass-finished" on a label as the same thing. USDA treats finished as the last stretch only, so a package can truthfully say "grain-fed, grass-finished". Finished promises less than it sounds.
Makes it a promise: The American Grassfed Association and Certified Grassfed by A Greener World both require it.
Here: Shady Brook Farm, Hickory Nut Gap, Dry Ridge Farm
Sources: USDA FSIS guideline on animal-raising claims (2024) · American Grassfed Association standards · Certified Grassfed by AGW standards
- Rotational grazing
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The herd moves through paddocks on a schedule, a few days on each and weeks of rest, instead of grazing one field all season. Farms do it for grass regrowth and soil. Also called managed or adaptive grazing; USDA's conservation service calls it grazing management (practice 528, formerly prescribed grazing) and helps pay for it.
Doesn't promise: Anything about feed, welfare, or the meat itself. It is a land-management practice.
Makes it a promise: No label certifies the practice; Land to Market measures its outcome on the land instead.
Here: Smoky Mountain Mangalitsa, East Fork Farm
Sources: USDA NRCS conservation practice 528, Grazing Management (2025)
- Regenerative
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A farming intent rather than a rule: build soil, keep the ground covered, graze in rotation, cut bought-in inputs. No federal or state law defines the word and no agency enforces it, so any farm may use it; USDA treats "raised using regenerative practices" as one more label claim backed by paperwork.
Doesn't promise: Anything specific. Ask what the farm actually does; the other terms on this list are usually the answer.
Makes it a promise: Regenerative Organic Certified (USDA Organic as the floor, plus soil health, animal welfare, and farmworker standards, at bronze, silver, or gold) and Land to Market (the Savory Institute measures soil, water, and plant cover on the farm itself).
Here: Sunnybrook Farm, Hickory Nut Gap, East Fork Farm
Sources: Congressional Research Service, Regenerative Agriculture and Related Labeling Claims (2025) · USDA FSIS guideline on animal-raising claims (2024) · Regenerative Organic Certified framework · Savory Institute, Ecological Outcome Verification
- Free-range
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For poultry, USDA reads it as continuous, free access to the outside during the growing cycle; for beef and pork, continuous access to the outdoors through the grazing season. Both are approved on paperwork, not inspected. Access, not time outside, and for chickens a door counts.
Doesn't promise: Pasture, or any amount of time actually spent outside.
Makes it a promise: Animal Welfare Approved requires continuous outdoor access on range or pasture.
Here: Jehovah Raah Farm, Trinity Bison Ranch, Carolina Bison, Hickory Nut Gap, East Fork Farm, Farmhouse Beef
Sources: USDA FSIS guideline on animal-raising claims (2024) · Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW
- No antibiotics or added hormones
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The animal was never given antibiotics, and no growth hormones were used. The hormone half matters only for beef and bison: federal rules already ban hormones in raising hogs and poultry, so every farm can say it, and USDA requires a pork or chicken label that says it to add that the law forbids them anyway.
Doesn't promise: Pasture, feed, or welfare. It is a medication claim.
Makes it a promise: USDA Organic and the American Grassfed Association bar antibiotics outright (an organic animal that is treated leaves the organic line). Animal Welfare Approved allows them only to treat a sick animal.
Here: Smoky Mountain Mangalitsa, Carolina Bison, Hickory Nut Gap, East Fork Farm, Farmhouse Beef
Sources: USDA FSIS meat and poultry labeling terms · USDA organic livestock rules, 7 CFR 205.238 · American Grassfed Association standards
- Heritage breed
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A traditional breed from before industrial farming. They grow slower and suit life outdoors, and the fat and flavor differ from commercial breeds. The Livestock Conservancy keeps the list of which are rare: Belted Galloway cattle are on it as a breed to watch; Mangalitsa pigs, an old Hungarian lard breed, are traditional but not on the US list.
Doesn't promise: Any raising practice. The breed is the fact; how it was raised is a separate question.
Makes it a promise: No certification; the breed name is the claim.
Here: Smoky Mountain Mangalitsa, Dry Ridge Farm
Sources: The Livestock Conservancy, heritage breeds · The Livestock Conservancy, conservation priority list
The stickers you'll see
- Appalachian Grown: ASAP's mark for a family farm, market, or food business inside the 60-county region around Asheville, about 1,000 farms. It says where the food comes from, not how it was raised. Free to the farm, renewed yearly.
- Animal Welfare Approved: By A Greener World. Outdoors on pasture or range for the whole life, every farm audited at least once a year; the strictest welfare label in wide use.
- Certified Grassfed by AGW: Animal Welfare Approved plus a 100% grass and forage diet.
- American Grassfed Association: Grass and forage only from weaning, raised on pasture without confinement, no antibiotics or added hormones, born and raised on American family farms; inspected at least every 15 months.
- USDA Organic: Organic feed, no antibiotics or hormones, outdoor access, and ruminants must graze pasture at least 120 days a year for at least 30% of what they eat. Says nothing about grass finishing.
- Regenerative Organic Certified: USDA Organic as the floor, plus soil health, animal welfare, and farmworker standards, at bronze, silver, or gold.
- Land to Market: The Savory Institute's outcome verification: the land is measured for soil, water, and plant cover instead of the farm's practices being audited.
In Haywood County
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Burnette Family Farm Appalachian Grown
lamb
Pasture-raised hair sheep raised for meat; "as natural as possible" per the farm's Appalachian Grown listing.
- farmers-market: Haywood's Historic Farmers Market, Waynesville
- phone: Order by phone
Sources checked Sep 19, 2026
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Happy Hollow Farms Appalachian Grown
beef
Fourth-generation farm raising grass-fed Angus beef. ASAP-listed practice: Pasture Raised. USDA approved and licensed to sell in all fifty states. Woman-owned.
- farm-direct: By appointment; call to arrange
Sources checked Sep 19, 2026
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Jehovah Raah Farm Appalachian Grown
beef
Grass-fed beef from Scottish Highland cattle on a farm that is primarily a fiber operation (Shetland sheep, llamas, alpacas, angora goats).
- farm-direct: By appointment at 170 Joe Mooney Rd, Clyde; call to arrange
Sources checked Sep 19, 2026
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Shady Brook Farm Appalachian Grown
beef · chicken · turkey · quail · eggs
Grass-only Black Angus beef; pasture-raised chicken, turkey, and quail. Multi-generational family farm in Henson Cove.
- farmers-market: Haywood's Historic Farmers Market, Waynesville. Saturdays 9 to noon, April to December
- csa: Meat CSA, currently listed as full
- delivery: Delivery drops in Waynesville and Haywood County
- online: WNC Farm to Table marketplace; own online ordering in soft launch (call to order)
Bulk: Sells wholes and halves of beef, processed in fall; reserve ahead. Runs Waynesville delivery drops.
Sources checked Sep 19, 2026
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Smoky Mountain Mangalitsa Appalachian Grown Animal Welfare Approved
pork · sausage · bacon · lard
100% Mangalitsa heritage pork raised on an eighteen-month weekly pasture rotation. Animal Welfare Approved, non-GMO, no steroids, no antibiotics, no chemical deworming.
- farm-direct: Farmhouse pickup at 332 Joe Davis Road, Waynesville. 10% pickup discount on retail cuts and lard
- online: Order through the website by text or email; ships Mondays
Farm store: Mon to Thu 9:30 to 4:30, Sat 9:30 to 12:30
Farmhouse, not a formal store; often available on short notice.
Sources checked Sep 19, 2026
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The Ten Acre Garden Appalachian Grown
beef · chicken · eggs
Organic practices (not certified), GMO-free, humanely raised per its Appalachian Grown listing. Meat is secondary to a large produce and U-pick operation.
- farm-store: Farm store at 148 Chambers Farm Lane, Canton (between Canton and Waynesville)
Farm store: Thu to Sat 10 to 6, Sun 1 to 5 pm · April 1 to October 31
Sources checked Sep 19, 2026
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Trinity Bison Ranch Appalachian Grown
bison
Working bison ranch offering USDA-inspected bison meat in all cuts. Family-owned, co-located with the Buffalo Creek Vacations lodging operation.
- farm-store: On-farm store at 13 Caboose Way, Clyde; call Cheryl to schedule meat pickup
- online: Online ordering anytime through the ranch website
Farm store: Mon to Sat 9 to 5, Sun 8 to 10
Sources checked Sep 19, 2026
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White Oak Farm & Rabbitry
pork · lamb · rabbit · eggs
Free-range sheep, chickens, and pigs; family-owned. Also raises dairy goats.
- farm: Direct from the farm by appointment at 172 Bluff Hollow Rd, Waynesville
- farmers-market: Haywood's Historic Farmers Market, Waynesville
Sources checked Sep 19, 2026
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Worley Farms Appalachian Grown Animal Welfare Approved
beef · pork
Pasture-raised and humanely raised per its Appalachian Grown listing; Animal Welfare Approved. Century farm, in the family 100+ years.
- farmers-market: Haywood's Historic Farmers Market, Waynesville
- farmers-market: Jackson County Farmers Market, Sylva
- online: WNC Farm to Table / From the Ground Up marketplace
- farm: Farm visits by appointment at 261 Sagebrush Dr, Canton
- restaurant: Supplies Grateful Table, Canton
Sources checked Sep 19, 2026
Outside the county, nearest first
Drive times are by road from downtown Waynesville, estimated with OpenStreetMap routing. From Canton, everything on the Asheville side is about 15 minutes closer and Sylva about 15 minutes farther.
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Sunnybrook Farm Appalachian Grown
beef
Pasture-raised, regenerative beef. ASAP-listed practices: Low Spray, Pasture Raised, Regenerative.
- farm-direct: Direct from the farm; call first
- farmers-market: Sylva Farmers Market
- online: WNC Farm to Table online marketplace
Sources checked Sep 19, 2026
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Carolina Bison
bison · elk · yak · beef
Bison raised free-range on native grass, no added hormones or antibiotics. Also raises elk, yak, Watusi beef, and organic grass-fed beef.
- online: Online store
- farm-direct: 356 Ridgeview Rd, Leicester; farm tours and phone orders
- retail: Retail and restaurant partners listed on the site's where-to-buy page
Sources checked Sep 19, 2026
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Hickory Nut Gap Appalachian Grown Animal Welfare Approved
beef · pork · chicken · sausage · bacon · deli meats
100% grass-fed beef, pasture-raised pork and chicken; no feedlots, no antibiotics, no added hormones. Regenerative grazing; the farm is a Savory Institute regional hub. Fifth-generation farm, established 1916.
- farm-store: Farm Store & Butchery, 57 Sugar Hollow Rd, Fairview
- csa: Monthly meat CSA: small $104/mo, large $137/mo, 10% member discount. Home delivery inside Asheville city limits only; farm-store pickup otherwise
- online: Online orders shipped via UPS
- grocery: Stocked at Ingles (Waynesville, Canton, Clyde locations), Whole Foods, Harris Teeter
Farm store: Wed to Sun 10 to 6
Bulk: Bulk cases, half-cases, and sampler boxes; ships via UPS.
Sources checked Sep 19, 2026
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Dry Ridge Farm
beef · pork · eggs
Grass-fed Belted Galloway beef raised without grain; pigs forage 10 acres of woodland. The farm states a focus on sustainability, environmental stewardship, transparency, and animal welfare. No third-party certifications listed.
- farmers-market: Asheville-area farmers markets
- restaurants: Supplies area restaurants
Sources checked Sep 19, 2026
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East Fork Farm Appalachian Grown Animal Welfare Approved
beef · eggs
- Pasture-raised
- Free-range
- Regenerative
- Grass-fed
- Rotational grazing
- No antibiotics or added hormones
Grass-fed beef and free-range eggs, no added hormones or antibiotics, raised in harmony with the land per the farm's 2026 ASAP listing.
- farm-stand: On-farm honor stand at 215 Meadow Branch Rd
- farmers-market: Marshall Farmers Market
- grocery: Marshall health food store
- email: Email orders: info@eastforkfarm.net
Pickup: 24 hours
24-hour honor stand; cash box or Venmo.
Sources checked Sep 19, 2026
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Farmhouse Beef Appalachian Grown
beef
Pasture-raised beef on 100 acres, with winter-annual overseeding for year-round grazing. ASAP-listed practices: GMO-Free, Pasture Raised, Humanely Raised, Free Range.
- online: Online ordering through the farm website
- farm-direct: On-farm pickup by appointment
- delivery: Delivers within 50 miles of the farm, which covers Waynesville
Bulk: Wholes and halves: spring processing orders taken in March, fall orders in July. The 50-mile delivery radius covers Waynesville.
Sources checked Sep 19, 2026
About these listings
Nobody pays to be here, and farms don't get removed without a stated reason. Each card's facts trace to the sources filed with its entry: the farm's Appalachian Grown listing, which ASAP keeps, or the farm's own website. Looking past the county line? ASAP's guide lists every Appalachian Grown farm in Haywood County and, with the county filter widened, the whole region. Know a farm we're missing, or spot something out of date? Tell us.