Traveling West Virginia Feature
Cattle have long been raised there, but the Givens recently wanted to try something new.
"I'd always thought bison were a pretty iconic animal in North America," co-partner and owner Dan Given said. "So we built a ton of fence, did a ton of upgrades and went out and bought some bison from Texas and Colorado."
The result is Mountain State Farm where Dan, his father, Doug, and his mother, Mary, are raising a substantial bison herd and selling the meat to customers directly from their meat shop located on the farm.
"We take it all the way from when it's a calf to when it's actually on your table," Dan Given said.
While bison are the big ticket item, the Givens also raise grass-fed chickens and hogs that are free to roam the woods on the expansive farm.
These items are also available for purchase at the farm with a wide variety of cuts and choices. The impressive meat shop is located in the Given's former garage, and is outfitted with several industrial sized freezers to keep the meat fresh.
"We want people to be more connected about where they get their food, so we can tell you everything about how that animal was raised, you can't get that at a larger grocery store." Given said.
Mountain State Farm is located at Strange Creek in Braxton County. You can follow them on Facebook, and also shop virtually on their website.