Frequently Asked Questions
Regenerative Agriculture
What is regenerative agriculture?
Regenerative agriculture describes holistic farming and grazing practices that are actively enhancing and restoring the land and its resources. A few of the many benefits of these practices include soil health (soil organic matter) restoration, crop resiliency and nutrient density, and increased land productivity and ecosystem biodiversity. All of which support numerous ecosystem services and ecological processes such as the water cycle, carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, nitrogen fixation, and natural pest control.
What are the differences between regenerative agriculture vs. plant based vs. industrial organic vs. conventional agriculture?
REGENERATIVE
- Builds soil health
- No tilling, no chemicals, no fertilizers, no herbicides, no pesticides, no fungicides.
- Holistic, supports a healthy eco system and is conservation focused.
- Sequesters carbon
- Works WITH nature to provide the best quality and nutrient dense food on the planet.
- Works to continuously improve the environment and health, incrementally.
PLANT BASED
- Relies on the current monoculture system which destroys soil and wildlife.
- Promotes genetically modified foods.
- Produces nutrient deficient foods.
- Is a sustainable rather than a regenerative model. Sustainable is no longer good enough.
INDUSTRIAL ORGANIC
- Heavily reliant on tilling and use of approved pest controls.
- Monocrop practices that destroy the soil and wildlife habitat.
- Is a sustainable rather than a regenerative model. Sustainable is no longer good enough.
CONVENTIONAL:
- Depletes the soil through extractive processes and methods.
- Uses tilling and chemical fertilizers and pest controls.
- Prioritizes profits and quantity over quality and ethics.
- Creates ocean dead zones, poisoned waterways and releases carbon.
- Produces nutrient deficient foods.
- Works against nature.
How does regenerative meat combat climate change?
Through photosynthesis, healthy grassland ecosystems remove carbon from the atmosphere and store in the soil (where it belongs!). In order to maximize the carbon sequestering capacity of these thriving grasslands, the symbiotic presence of grazing animals is required. As a result, when managed in nature’s images, bison and other ruminant animals have the ability to enrich a system that reverses climate change.
Is this scalable? Is it possible to feed a growing population on grass-fed animal protein?
A Stone Barns Institute study on grass fed beef production showed that if we can increase the productivity of our lands by 30% we can grass feed and grass finish every beef cattle in the United States. It is not about if we have the land to produce and scale, it is about if we have the management (people committed to improving soil health and productivity of land).
Is there enough land to graze cattle?
Removing cattle doesn’t mean that we’ll free up more land for crop production. More than 60% globally and 40% of the land in the contiguous U.S. is pasture and rangeland that is too rocky, steep, and/or arid to support cultivated agriculture – yet this land can support cattle and protein upcycling.
Don’t cows release methane through farting, thus contributing to climate change?
According the EPA, all livestock only represents 3.9% of the US GHG emissions, which is far lower than the 18% - 51% range many plant-based advocates report. The largest source of GHG emissions in the US comes from energy and transportation. Within the livestock category, beef represents 2% of total US GHG emissions. Regardless of the statistic, we again are talking about studying a dysfunctional system (which the numbers aren’t so bad when considering that). Within a healthy ecosystem with healthy soils, there is a bacteria present called methanatrophic bacteria that is responsible for pulling methane from the air and putting it in the soil.
Doesn’t it take too much water to produce animal protein?
Most of the droplets below represent "green water," or rainfall that would have occurred whether or not the cattle grazed in that particular location. “Blue water" represents water that has been sourced from surface or groundwater resources. Beef requires only 280 gallons of “blue water" per pound, which is less than the amount required to produce a pound of avocados, walnuts, or sugar. Additionally, I find the water argument frustrating because it fails to consider humans’ impact on the water cycle. How many gallons of water it takes for us to grow? – drink/day (although we never turn into food to nourish others), take a shower, brush our teeth, water our lawns. Unscientifically speaking, I imagine that most people water their yards with more water than it takes to hydrate an animal which will feed their family for an entire year. See our blog post, THE MYTH OF TOO MUCH WATER.
Orders shipping and tracking
What are the shipping rates?
Listed below are the shipping rates that apply to all orders:
· $0 to $74.99 - The consumer pays for the cooler ($20) & shipping.
· $75 to $188.99 - The consumer receives a cooler at no charge & pays for shipping.
· $189.00 and up - The consumer receives cooler and shipping at no charge.
Due to the perishable nature of our products, all orders outside our ground network must be upgraded to express shipping due to the amount of time they would be in transit. These shipping totals are calculated per pound per mile.
- Free shipping available only in the contiguous US.
When will my orders ship?
Force of Nature shipping takes 5-7 business days to arrive. Due to the perishable nature of our products, we only ship Monday through Wednesday. This helps ensure orders make it to customers as quickly as possible and that customers are able to receive on the day of delivery.
How do you ship?
We will only allow a package to be in transit for up to 3 consecutive business days as it is a frozen, perishable product. Your order will be shipping from either St. Louis, IL, Edison, NJ, or Turlock, CA. Depending on where you are located the order will be shipped FedEx overnight, 2 Day or 3 day ground.
Because these are perishable products, how do you keep them fresh when shipped?
Each order will be shipped in an insulated cooler, packed with dry ice. This ensures your order arrives fresh, cold, and safe. Our items are shipped frozen, ensuring they arrive at a safe temperature. It is possible that a portion of your order may not arrive completely frozen, especially when the weather is very warm. We suggest transferring the contents of your order to a refrigerator or freezer immediately upon receipt and at a minimum on the day of delivery.
Though we go to great measures to ensure it is not, if any of your order is warm to the touch, we suggest discarding that portion and emailing us at: info@forceofnaturemeats.com for assistance.
Unfortunately, food safety rules and regulations will not allow us to reuse the shipping coolers. Shipping coolers can be reused, re-purposed for many projects, donated to a local food pantry or shelter. Also see below for our Green Cell Foam disposal instructions.
** To dispose of dry ice, place it in a well-ventilated area at room temperature; the remainder of the ice will sublimate away. Never dispose of dry ice in a trash can, chemical waste container or other garbage/waste can. **
Do your shipping coolers create waste?
We have made the necessary transition to Green Cell foam insulated shipping coolers!
**Manufacturing Green Cell foam requires 70% less energy and produces 80% less greenhouse gas than petroleum-based foams. It is backyard compostable, biodegradable and water-soluble (ASTM d6400 and BPI certified). The primary raw material is U.S. Grown, non-GMO cornstarch, an annually renewable resource.
Green Cell Plus takes 3-panel sections of green cell foam and envelops them in a polyethylene film to provide an effective barrier against moisture and humidity. The plastic film is readily recyclable in most communities. Tear the film and remove the green cell foam panels. Recycle the film with other #4 plastics. Place the Green Cell foam panels in any compost pile or yard waste container, dissolve them in a sink or bucket of water, or use as a fire starter as they are clean burning as well.
Under rare circumstances we may ship your order out in Styrofoam coolers with ice packs. We are doing our best to prevent this. Please reuse these and recycle appropriately.
For more disposal information, please click here.
Can you ship to a P.O. Box?
Shipping to a P.O. Box is not available. Please verify your correct shipping address. Any special instructions can be added to the comment section upon checkout. Once your order ships, we have no control over what occurs to your order during transit with FedEx, therefore, making sure your shipping address and delivery details are correct is highly important.
What do I do if some of my items were defrosted upon delivery?
Your meat is shipped out frozen with either dry ice, ice packs or a combination thereof depending on your shipping location. In warmer conditions your order may arrive partially thawed. Meat below 40 degrees is safe to consume and can be refrozen or thawed completely for consumption. For more information please see our FAQ, WHY FROZEN MEAT IS JUST AS GOOD AS FRESH. If your order arrives in 4 or more days and is over 40 degrees please contact us at info@forceofnaturemeats.com with your order number.
Product information
Why aren’t you certified organic?
While we believe organic is a step in the right direction for agriculture, there are many organic practices that degrade the land that we do not agree with. Tilling is widely accepted and utilized for weed management in organic agriculture, destroying soil structure and biology. Organic grass fed beef can mean a cow is fed organic hay in a feedlot, not taking into consideration living conditions. We value the entire ecosystem and ecosystem functionality which we believe is best practiced through regenerative animal agriculture and holistic planned grazing.
Is frozen meat just as good as fresh?
What’s good about freezing meat is that it actually tenderizes it. This is due to the expansion of the moisture within the cell walls when they freeze. When thawed, these muscle fibers are more tender. Also- our meat is safe to consume up to 21 days from when it was thawed and a whole year frozen!
Why is there beef in the elk and venison?
You may have noticed there is 3% Grass Fed Beef added to our Venison and Elk products and want to know why. The regulatory environment surrounding meat in the US can be pretty complex. In order to satisfy the federal authorities and simultaneously all the various state agencies (many of which have different and even conflicting requirements) this blend makes everyone happy. By including in a minimal amount of some of the most premium beef on the planet we are able to satisfy all these authorities and make sure wild game proteins that meet our elevated standards and values are accessible and cost effective for consumers all across the country.
How do I read the date code?
You may have noticed a new "date code" indicator on our product packaging. These 5 digit codes, known as "Julian dates", are easy to decipher once you know how they work. The first two digits represent the year, while the final three digits indicate the day of the year that your product was produced. For example, 21001 denotes January 1st, 2021 while 21032 is February 1st, 2021 (the 32nd day of 2021), and so on. If your product is properly stored and frozen, you have 1 year to consume that product.
***Chicken products' date code reflects the flash frozen date and not the expiration date. Frozen, these products will be safe to consume for 1 year from that date. Once thawed, please consume within 7 days
Are your animals vaccinated with the mRNA vaccine?
We are aware of circulating concerns over the use of mRNA vaccines in livestock animals, a practice that is not approved for use in livestock. We can confirm that no one in our supply chain is using any mRNA vaccine nor does any one in our supply chain have any plans to.
Nonetheless, based on the level of concern we are hearing on this issue we will continue to monitor any news on specific vaccine work, actual approvals or any confirmed use closely.
Do you use any vaccines?
Please understand that vaccine use varies by state, region, species and ranch. Some are required by governing bodies while others may be more common in one region than another based on environmental factors. In all cases, there is strong incentive and desire to minimize use to only what is essential as there is not a rancher that looks favorably on adding to their vet bills unless it is essential to their context.
Our sourcing team monitors vaccination protocols for appropriateness and adherence to brand values. We are actually working with our partner operations presently in order to assist them in evaluating and considering more holistic alternatives where appropriate.
Nutrition
Do humans need to eat meat to get all the essential nutrients?
Animal sources are the most complete protein sources because they contain all of the amino acids we need for optimal health. The heme iron in steak is the best, most bio-available source of iron, and a small 4oz serving of beef contains 95% of the DRI for B12, something you can’t get from plants. Iron and B12 are two of the most common nutrient deficiencies worldwide according to the CDC.
One study in PNAS modeled what would happen if America eliminated all animal products and showed that overall caloric would increase, carbohydrate intake would increase, and nutrient deficiencies would increase. At the same time, greenhouse gas emissions would only reduce by 2.6%.
Does animal fat cause heart disease, high cholesterol, and other health ailments?
There is no evidence showing red meat or saturated fat consumption causes heart disease or diabetes. Humans have eaten red meat and other nutrient dense animal products for thousands of years. It’s time to stop blaming animals for our poor health and start looking at the real culprit: nutrient-poor, hyper-palatable and ultra-processed foods.
Does eating less meat = more deficiencies, calories, and carbs?
One study in PNAS modeled what would happen if America eliminated all animal products and showed that overall caloric would increase, carbohydrate intake would increase, and nutrient deficiencies would increase. At the same time, greenhouse gas emissions would only reduce by 2.6%.
Is a plant-based diet more humane than an animal-based diet?
There is more death and destruction consuming a plant based diet than an animal based diet. When you look at two agricultural systems side by side you are comparing this:
PLANT BASED DIET: the death of millions of microbes and biology due to tilling and/or spraying. Taking the lives of thousands of insects, rodents, and reptiles when tilling and/or spraying. Removing habitat and further exposing prey to predators through the destruction of ground cover. Oh, and plants are also sentient beings, so…
ANIMAL BASED DIET: The death of one large ruminant to feed your entire family for a year. One life. All things eat and are eaten. A food system without animals could cause more harm than good. Well-raised beef is a healthy, sustainable and ethical food.
Payments and refunds
Does Force of Nature Meats offer discount codes or coupons?
We do, periodically, offer discounts or coupons based on product inventory levels and or product changes. In light of any promotions, our level of respect for the animals we source remains unchanged. We simply want to pass along savings and high-quality products to our valued customers.
Can I be notified when out of stock items are back in stock?
The natural way in which we allow our animals to live and weather take part in the way we harvest, this affects what items are available from time to time. If you find an item that is out of stock, please click ‘Notify Me When Available.’ When we add more inventory to this particular item, you will receive an email reminder that this item is now available.
*Due to the increase demand in products we are working around the clock to monitor inventory demand. Any items that are out of stock are generally replenished within a few days so please check back!