Bitter Harvest is a 1981 American drama television film directed by Roger Young, from a teleplay by Richard Friedenberg, based on the 1978 book of the same name by Frederic and Sandra Halbert.

The film stars Ron Howard, Art Carney, Tarah Nutter, and Richard Dysart, and chronicles the Michigan PBB contamination incident.

De Vries calls the local veterinary authorities from the Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB) who study his animals, take samples, and kill a small ailing calf to take the remains for autopsy.

His first thoughts that the rats may be pointing to the problem fades when his family, who do not eat cattle feed, begin showing signs of skin complaints, headaches and feeling generally unwell.

Toward the end of this long print-out a single unidentified blip appeared on the result chart, showing an unknown substance in the calf's tissues.

Dr. Freeman responds to De Vries' request for help and identifies the blip on the chart as polybrominated biphenyl (PBB), a flame retardant used in Firemaster extinguishers.

The film concludes a year after the initial outbreak, with the killing of De Vries' entire herd, as the animals are led into a deep open pit, shot, and bulldozed over with soil.