Will Harris is a fourth-generation cattleman, who tends the same land that his great-grandfather settled in 1866. Born and raised at White Oak Pastures, Will left home to attend the University of Georgia’s School of Agriculture, where he was trained in the industrial farming methods that had taken hold after World War II. Will graduated in 1976 and returned to Bluffton where he and his father continued to raise cattle using pesticides, herbicides, hormones, and antibiotics. They also fed their herd a high-carbohydrate diet of corn and soy.
These tools did a fantastic job of taking the cost out of the system, but in the mid-1990s Will became disenchanted with the excesses of these industrialized methods. They had created a monoculture for their cattle, and, as Will says, “nature abhors a monoculture.” In 1995, Will made the audacious decision to return to the farming methods his great-grandfather had used 130 years before.
Since Will has successfully implemented these changes, he has been recognized all over the world as a leader in humane animal husbandryand environmental sustainability. Will is the immediate past President of the Board of Directors of Georgia Organics. He is the Beef Director of the American Grassfed Association and was selected 2011 Business Person of the year for Georgia by the Small Business Administration.
Will lives in his family home on the property with his wife Yvonne. He is the proud father of three daughters, Jessi, Jenni, and Jodi. His favorite place in the world to be is out in pastures, where he likes to have a big coffee at sunrise and a 750ml glass of wine at sunset.
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Videos
24.10.2018 On this episode of Grow, we’re traveling three hours south of Atlanta to White Oak Pastures, a sixth-generation family farm that is famous for environmental stewardship and animal welfare. Herdsman and Land Steward Will Harris takes us on a jeep tour of the farm and shows us holistic land management practices that have caught the attention of environmentalists and foodies around the world.
6.10.2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmK7U8D-QDQ
21.07.2016 White Oak Pastures are purveyors of grass-fed, humanely-raised animals in Bluffton, Georgia. Learn more here http://www.whiteoakpastures.com.
5.04.2016 One family, one farm, 150 years: A full circle from humane and sustainable farming, to industrialized and commoditized farming, and back again. Will Harris runs White Oak Pastures, the Georgia farm his family has operated since 1866 (five generations). Under his leadership, the farm has returned to an environmentally sustainable and high animal welfare farming system. After receiving an animal science degree from UGA, Harris returned home and began to implement a number of sustainable farming practices. Today his cattle, sheep, hogs, goats and poultry are rotated through White Oak Pastures in the Serengeti Plains rotational grazing model. The farm now utilizes solar panels and its beef, goat and lamb are grass-fed. White Oaks also holds the distinction of being the only farm in the U.S. to have both a red meat plant and poultry processing that have been approved by the USDA.
28.06.2016 http://articles.mercola.com/sites/cur… Natural health expert and Mercola.com founder Dr. Joseph Mercola interviews Will Harris, owner of White Oak Pastures in Bluffton, Georgia. Subscribe for the latest health news: http://bit.ly/2qLgWRW
29.10.2015 White Oak Pastures is a 150 year old multigenerational family farm that cooperates with nature to produce artisan products. We work hard to ensure that all of our production practices are Fair, Sustainable, and Humane. We never fail to conduct our business in an honorable manner, for the sake of our animals, our land, and our people who produce and consume our goods. This is our story.
24.07.2014
16.11.2012 Deep in the southwest corner of the state, maybe where you’d least expect it, you’ll find Georgia’s biggest certified organic farm. White Oak Pastures is a fifth generation family-owned farm established in 1866, but “born on the Internet.” In addition to Teachable Moments about Sustainable Agriculture, Mono-cultural versus Poly-cultural farming, and the Serengeti Plains Rotational Grazing Model, you’ll want to watch the owners, Will and Jenni Harris, test themselves against the Fast Forward Meat-O-Meter!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnNNC_J-8d8
2.11.2011 Will Harris is a fourth generation rancher taking his family farm in a whole new direction. His 1,000-acre farm in South Georgia is home to chickens which are raised on pasture with room to roam and forage. They’re fed an all vegetarian diet and have a rich flavor.
