Pasture-raised meat comes from animals raised outdoors on grass instead of confined in a barn or a feedlot. For cattle that can mean fully grass-fed and grass-finished. For pigs and poultry it means the animals live on pasture and root, scratch, and forage, supplemented with feed, because pigs and chickens are not ruminants and cannot live on grass alone. Buying direct from the farm is how you learn exactly how an animal was raised, fed, and finished, which no supermarket label reliably tells you.
Ask the farm how the animals are finished, what supplemental feed they get (soy-free and non-GMO are common selling points), and how the meat is processed. Most farms use either a USDA-inspected facility, which lets them sell individual cuts, or a custom-exempt butcher, which means you buy the animal live by the share. Both are normal. They just change how you order.
Direct meat is sold two ways. You can buy a whole, half, or quarter animal as a bulk share, which is the cheapest per pound and fills a freezer, or you can buy individual cuts as they are available. A quarter beef runs roughly one hundred pounds of packaged meat and needs about four cubic feet of freezer space, and a whole hog is similar. Bulk shares usually take a deposit plus a cut sheet, and you pay the processor separately.
Poultry is the most seasonal. Pastured broilers and turkeys are raised on grass spring through fall, so fresh birds peak in summer and autumn, and Thanksgiving turkeys often sell out by mid-summer. Beef and pork are available year round, but bulk shares track the processing calendar, so it is worth asking when the next animals go to the butcher. Every farm below links to its own page with location, what it sells, and how to reach it.
How buying meat direct works
Direct meat sounds complicated the first time and is simple once you know the two models. Here is the whole thing.
| Term | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Whole / half / quarter share | You buy the live animal by the portion. Cheapest per pound, fills a freezer. Sold by farms that use a custom-exempt butcher. |
| Individual cuts | Order steaks, chops, or ground as available. Only farms that process at a USDA-inspected facility can sell cuts retail. |
| Freezer space | A quarter beef needs about 4 cubic feet, a half about 7 to 8, a whole hog about 4. Clear the space before pickup day. |
| Cut sheet | You tell the butcher how to break the animal down: steak thickness, roast size, how much ground. |
| Deposit and balance | Most farms take a deposit to reserve and the balance at pickup, priced by hanging weight. |
16 pasture-raised meat farms near Nashville, TN
Sorted with the most complete listings first. Every farm links to its own page with location, what it grows, and how to make contact.
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Bugtussle Farmin Nashville, TNDeliversBugtussle Farm Bugtussle Farm is a 153 acre farm (3 of which are in cultivation) located in beautiful south-central Kentucky.Website listed
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Gourmet Pasture BeefSpringfield, TNDeliversGourmet Pasture Beef We raise only the finest 100% grass fed and finished angus/herford beef on high quality, local forages here in Robertson County.Website listed
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Walnut Hills FarmBethpage, TNDeliversWalnut Hills Farm In the beautiful rolling hills of middle Tennessee, Walnut Hills Farm is nestled on 50 acres between Gallatin and Hartsville, Lebanon and Westmoreland.Website listed
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Beaverdam Creek FarmFranklin, TNDeliversBeaverdam Creek Farm WHO'S YOUR FARMER? Everyone needs to know their farmer personally. Why? Because a farmer that you know is a farmer you can trust.Website listed
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Allenbrooke FarmsSpring Hill, TNDeliversAllenbrooke Farms Allenbrooke Farms is a 120 acre family farm in Spring Hill, TN. Owned & Operated by Owner, Farmer, Daniel Allen. Allenbrooke is Certified Organic.Website listed
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KLD Farm LLCAshland City, TNDeliversKLD Farm LLC We raise All Natural Angus Beef. We sell at the Nashville Farmers' Market on weekends and from our farm by appointment.Website listed
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Whitaker FarmsGALLATIN, TNDeliversWhitaker Farms Whitaker Farms is owned and operated by a former major league baseball player and current Firefighter, Bryan Petersen.Website listed
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Red Thread FarmFranklin, TNPickup / on-farmFranklin farm shop for seasonal organic produce, herbs, honey, mushrooms and garden starts.Website listed
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Southern Ridge FarmColumbia, TNPickup / on-farmColumbia meat farm offering beef and pork through online, on-farm, retail, wholesale and farmers-market channels.Website listed
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Jamieson FarmSpringfield, TNPickup / on-farmSpringfield farm offering farm-to-door delivery, pasture-raised poultry and eggs, seasonal produce, berries, flowers, CSA, farm tours and u-pick appointments.Website listed
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Annie AcresNashville, TNPickup / on-farmSells cheese, chicken, cow-milk, dairy, eggs, meat.Website listed
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Delta Sun FarmHendersonville, TNShipsDelta Sun Farm We are a small scale farm located in Sumner County, Tennessee that is focused on producing organically grown food for the folks in our area by using Sustainable.No website. Call or visit.
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Sugar Camp FarmBon Aqua, TNDeliversSugar Camp Farm We grow vegetables and herbs on a small scale using low till practices. We sell to chefs and at the farmers market in Nashville, TN.No website. Call or visit.
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Joel's Farm LLCBon Aqua, TNLocal deliveryBon Aqua farm offering grass-fed beef, pork and eggs through CSA, farm pickup and delivery across Middle Tennessee.No website. Call or visit.
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Leipers Creek FarmColumbia, TNPickup / on-farmRealMilk raw milk finder listingWebsite listed
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Hill Family FarmWhite House, TNLocal deliveryHill Family Farm Hill Family Farm is a small farm owned and operated by myself, my wife (Lynn) our son Chris and his wife Sherri.No website. Call or visit.
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