diff --git a/src/activity_handlers.cpp b/src/activity_handlers.cpp
index ea1a1e0cb8f03..9609094e98647 100644
--- a/src/activity_handlers.cpp
+++ b/src/activity_handlers.cpp
@@ -693,7 +693,7 @@ static void butchery_drops_harvest( item *corpse_item, const mtype &mt, player &
                                     const std::function<int()> &roll_butchery, butcher_type action,
                                     const std::function<double()> &roll_drops )
 {
-    p.add_msg_if_player( m_neutral, _( mt.harvest->message() ) );
+    p.add_msg_if_player( m_neutral, mt.harvest->message() );
     int monster_weight = to_gram( mt.weight );
     monster_weight += round( monster_weight * rng_float( -0.1, 0.1 ) );
     if( corpse_item->has_flag( "QUARTERED" ) ) {
diff --git a/src/harvest.cpp b/src/harvest.cpp
index af018b17bd90d..f10e8a4960687 100644
--- a/src/harvest.cpp
+++ b/src/harvest.cpp
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 #include "item_group.h"
 #include "output.h"
 #include "json.h"
+#include "text_snippets.h"
 
 // TODO: Make a generic factory
 static std::map<harvest_id, harvest_list> harvest_all;
@@ -44,7 +45,7 @@ const harvest_id &harvest_list::id() const
 
 std::string harvest_list::message() const
 {
-    return message_;
+    return SNIPPET.expand( message_.translated() );
 }
 
 bool harvest_list::is_null() const
@@ -81,9 +82,7 @@ const harvest_id &harvest_list::load( const JsonObject &jo, const std::string &s
         jo.throw_error( "id was not specified for harvest" );
     }
 
-    if( jo.has_string( "message" ) ) {
-        ret.message_ = jo.get_string( "message" );
-    }
+    jo.read( "message", ret.message_ );
 
     for( const JsonObject current_entry : jo.get_array( "entries" ) ) {
         ret.entries_.push_back( harvest_entry::load( current_entry, src ) );
diff --git a/src/harvest.h b/src/harvest.h
index 385dddf246e85..b55f6ce28d4bd 100644
--- a/src/harvest.h
+++ b/src/harvest.h
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 #include <vector>
 
 #include "string_id.h"
+#include "translations.h"
 #include "type_id.h"
 
 using itype_id = std::string;
@@ -86,7 +87,7 @@ class harvest_list
         harvest_id id_;
         std::list<harvest_entry> entries_;
         std::set<std::string> names_;
-        std::string message_;
+        translation message_;
 
         void finalize();
 };