Other than open pit mineral mining operations, there are few commercial endeavors that degrade land as much as industrial monocrop agriculture. Industrial monocrop agriculture utilizes tillage, and chemical fertilizers, and pesticides, which harm our environment in many ways:
In 1866, Will Harris' great grandfather brought a herd of cattle with him to White Oak Pastures. These cattle would have been Florida Cracker or Pineywoods cattle, feral descendents of the livestock brought to North America by the Spanish. These are the only two breeds that would have been...
All of my life I have heard, and used, the expression “Living off of the Fat of the Land”.
To me, that expression means doing well from the excesses that come from what you have. It is kind of like living on the interest that is paid on your savings account.
At White Oak Pastures, we regularly add new pieces of land to our farm, either by buying or leasing nearby parcels. Almost all of the land we acquire is degraded cropland that for decades was used to grow monoculture crops, with the help of extreme chemical fertilizer and pesticide use.
What A Resilient Production System Looks Like
For the last 25 years, some of us have recognized there is no resilience in the American food production system. Today, it is painfully evident to anyone who takes a look at it.
We Are Resilient.
Food shopping has seen some of the most radical changes in decades over the last four weeks - changes none of us ever dreamed possible. These changes forced us to take our farm operations back to the drawing board and rethink how we manage fulfillment. Over the last thirty days, we added 16...
A Landmark Day in Energy and Agriculture: From Reductive to Renewable to Regenerative Energy
This week, we released a herd of sheep onto a large solar farm. There they will take on their new job of grazing the grasses beneath and around the solar panels. Typically, solar farms manage foliage with machinery and herbicide, to prevent any shading of the solar arrays. By using sheep, this...
Certified Organic Isn't Enough.
While speaking at a recent summit, Will Harris got a lot of attention when he told the audience,
“Some of the worst regenerative farm practices I’ve ever seen were on industrial organic, USDA Certified Organic, production farms.”
Grassfed, Pasture-Raised Red Meat & Heart Health
One of the best parts of the Regenerative Food Movement is that it binds together people from many walks of life. Whether the focus is on raising livestock, fitness, culinary arts, or health, we are all hungry for the same thing: good, clean food. We are grateful for our new friendship and...
Feeding your kids’ changing appetites can sometimes be a challenge, but using pasture-raised meats in your lunches doesn’t have to be. Between ready-made foods and creative recipes, there are plenty of ways to use pasture-raised meats in easy-to-prepare, kid-approved meals.
It's one thing to hear about regenerative land management, and it's another thing to learn, see, and experience hands-on. That's why we're offering an intensive on-farm workshop, Regenerating Land Through Livestock Impact, on April 4th, 2020.
How do you celebrate President’s Day? It may not be the most well-known holiday of the year, but at White Oak Pastures, we’ll get behind any excuse to celebrate with a pasture-raised meal.
When looking for President’s Day inspiration, we started to research presidential favorite foods on the...