Located on 130 acres in a quiet Appalachian mountain holler of Tennessee, we believe in raising our rare and heritage breeds as holistically as possible, using biologically appropriate diets and lifestyles. We aim to work with nature to build our soil and to raise the healthiest, happiest animals possible.
We are a regenerative, holistic farm that focuses on rare and heritage breeds. Our animals are never fed soy or gmo, given antibiotics, steroids, vaccines, or other chemical controls, and are kept on pasture. Our main focus at Bear Mountain Farm is registered, polled, A2A2 White Dexter cattle. We rotationally graze, currently moving them at minimum every three days and working towards daily or even twice daily. They are supplemented with unsprayed hay and silage in the winter, and given Fetrell minerals, kelp, humates, and garlic. We will be switching to the cafeteria style mineral feeder from FCE in spring of 2025. We do feed our cattle less than 1/4lb per head of fermented organic grain mixed with alfalfa pellets and supplements. This daily treat is like having one home-baked cookie using the best ingredients. It trains them to come to us and allows us to easily mix in supplements and herbal medications when needed. In the spring, we will be adding Katahdin sheep to create a flerd. We use Basic H for deworming.
We raise registered Anatolian Shepherd LGDs from healthy, working lines that have been OFA or PennHip tested for osteoarthritis risk. Our dogs are fed raw meat, eggs, and clabbered milk from our farm, Blue Ridge Beef raw mix, and supplemented with no more than 50% grain-free kibble from Bixbi or Zignature. We choose to use only a rabies vaccine for our animals and work with puppy buyers on the vaccine program of their choice. We microchip our own dogs but leave that choice up to buyers. We have never used antibiotics, steroids, or other Rx with our dogs. We do use fenbendazole for deworming ourselves and the dogs twice a year as we find it improves our own health compared to natural dewormers.
We also raise Mangalitsa pigs on pasture, with similar management practices and the cleanest diet possible. For poultry, we focus on Dorking chickens, with Bourbon Red turkeys coming in 2025. For more details on our management practices, please visit our website or ask.
Herbal (1)-Conventional (10) 1-10 Scale: 2
Parasite Protocol: Because we rotate our livestock every few days, we have not had the need to deworm. Approximately four times a year, we add Basic H (a fragrance free natural soap) to cattle water for 48 hours. We also regularly give them garlic, and they have access to black walnut trees.
Our pigs are given garlic daily and pumpkin in the fall, and every few months we'll add a little soapy water to their feed, which is the "traditional" way of deworming pigs.
Our chickens are given pumpkin in the fall.
Our dogs are given garlic daily, pumpkin in the fall, and fenbendazole 2x a year.
Vaccination Protocols: No Vaccinations