When you close your eyes and think of Mardi Gras, what do you envision? Perhaps the glamorous parades splitting the crowded streets as beads, trinkets, and doubloons are tossed from adorned participants on floats. Maybe you see the colors of purple, green and gold which signify justice, faith, and power. Some may view something dark or supernatural with images of voodoo, zombification and Papa Legba. Movies and TV shows such as Tremé, True Detective, and James Bond’s “Live and Let Die” have depicted both sides of the light-hearted and darkness of Mardi Gras.

When Dana St. Pierre offered his wife, Amy, a home remedy handed down from his German grandmother, Elisabet, I’m quite certain neither anticipated the path on which this would lead them. Amy can attest to the profound improvement in her overall health and energy levels. Because of that, she suggested they make a batch of their tonic for the 2010 Sire City Sanctuary Shindy, a Berkshires-based holiday artisans festival. Not only did Dana and Amy sell out of their tonic, they also had eager people showing up on their doorsteps wanting refills! Dana and Amy have taken an age-old family tonic and tweaked it to soothe the contemporary palate. Partnering with Amy’s brother, Brian, they created a company with the mission to promote an amazingly healthy lifestyle with Fire Cider.

When we think of the month of February, we think of Valentine’s Day, hearts, flowers, cherubs, and chocolate. Each is an expression of love in the name of Saint Valentine. February is also American Heart Month. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute chose February as the month to raise awareness of heart health and urge Americans to lower their risks for developing heart disease. White Oak Pastures recognizes the National American Heart Month. Yet, here on the farm, we are responsible for One Hundred Thousand Beating Hearts daily.

Employment opportunities in South Georgia can be challenging, but when Bobbie Lee Williams rode by White Oak Pastures, he was intrigued by the men and women driving tractors and by all of the animals. This was enough to entice him to seek employment on the farm. “The people here are friendly and everybody has made me feel welcomed. Everybody gets along with one another and helps each other out.”

Here in North America, we celebrate the rise of the New Year by staying up til midnight in our respective time zones to watch a lit shiny ball or, in one case, a Moon Pie drop from the sky. As the crowds' countdown to “1”, projectiles are shot in the air with the spectacle of colorful booming fireworks bursting against the black canvas of the midnight sky. The much-celebrated fireworks were first developed in Medieval China, which leads us to the topic of the Chinese New Year. February 4th sparks the celebration with reunion dinners with emphasis on creating thoughtful dishes to celebrate ancestors, much akin to how Southern families gather. 2019 celebrates the Year of the Pig with the distinction of the Earthly branch.

It is noted in some myths that the Jade Emperor held a race to an...

“I lost my father when I was eleven years old. All I ever had in my life was my mother, Teresa Huff, so that’s who keeps me going and motivated. She works at a financial company, and my step-dad runs a lawn and tree service. He was raising hogs, so I guess it grew on me.” That may be why Jamaal gravitated towards White Oak Pastures. “I liked to be around animals and wanted to learn techniques to raise them.” Jamaal works in our Poultry Production Department caring for our pasture-raised chickens and says, “White Oak Pastures is family.”

Mark Harrison grew up working on his “Grandpa’s” farm, as well as surrounding farms before his detour through another field - the field of real estate development. “After the crash in 2008, I returned to a simpler way of life and started farming again. I have been practicing regenerative farming and humanely raising animals for years.”

While working in the Mental Health field, Sarah Jordan was looking for a change of pace. “I always had farming in the back of my mind, and when my partner moved to southwest Georgia, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to do that. White Oak Pastures was, for me, the opportunity to learn how to farm. I came here as an intern in August 2017. Soon after, I was hired in the organic garden department,” where Sarah has recently been promoted to manager!

“My days revolve around leading my team in growing healthy vegetables and healing the land in the process. This means we do everything from planting seeds to harvesting crops, preparing new plots for planting, to weeding and tending to established crops. We see the vegetables through, from the time they are planted until they are packaged...

February 8-9, 2019 in Tifton, Georgia

White Oak Pastures has been a proud member of Georgia Organics for over a decade now, and has supported and attended this conference each year. This year, we are excited Will Harris was asked to speak as the keynote speaker for the 21st Annual Georgia Organics Conference in Tifton, Georgia. Harris, the owner of White Oak Pastures, was also the recipient of the 19th Annual Georgia Organics Land Steward Award. This award honors an individual who has contributed significantly to the organic movement in Georgia; on the farm through environmentally friendly production and off the farm through leadership, education, and outreach. Georgia Organics Board Member and farmer Joe Reynolds, who presented Will with the award, stated, “Will Harris has the...

Six months after Amber met Jenni Harris, she was working part-time on the farm at White Oak Pastures. ”I didn’t make the move down to Bluffton until June of 2013. It was never a discussion for us about where we would live and one day start a family. Bluffton was just a given. The best part of being in South Georgia is this community. Folks might assume that my marriage might not be openly accepted in a small town like Bluffton. But, I’m so thankful that I don’t have a single sad story to share. From the time I moved from Atlanta to Bluffton, to the time Jenni and I welcomed our son home to live as the sixth generation on the farm, everyone has treated my family with love and respect. South Georgians get bad reputations from time to time, and while we aren’t perfect, we know as much as...

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year” joyfully echoes from the radio, and it is!

However, they failed to mention that it is also the busiest, most hectic and quite honestly, the most stressful time of the year as well. When the stress of it all becomes too much, it’s important to take a deep breath and step away. A quiet, peaceful day on the farm is the best remedy for holiday stress. Please join us at White Oak Pastures’ General Store Open House in downtown Bluffton, GA on Sunday, December 16, 2018, from 1:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m.

White Oak Pastures is a multifaceted regenerative farm raising ten different species for meat, with cattle and poultry as the largest in number. Only 55% of the cow is made up of cuts that are marketable. Because we are committed to adhering to our no-waste tenet, we were motivated to find ways in which to use the parts of the animals that aren’t consumed. Jacqueline DeWitt, our composting manager, explains the aspects of our composting program:

“In our system, we render fat from the cattle to make soaps and salves, sell trim to processors, tan hides, make pet chews, and feed our guardian dogs. Even after all of these measures are taken to use all parts, there are still 4 million pounds of animal remains each year that we can not process or use. So, we do the next best thing: We...