How did you get into the field you work in now?

I was premed in college, so I completed all my requirements and majored in Anthropology and Human Biology. I also had a string of really great environmental studies professors which resulted in me picking up a minor in Environmental Studies. My botany professor was incredibly inspiring- Dr. Eloise Carter. She actually just Snapchatted me a handful of muscadines. Over the summers I was part of something called OIEE- the Oxford Institute for Environmental Education. I was a Teaching Assistant, it was a program for grade school teachers to come through and figure out how to incorporate environmental studies lessons in any subject- math, literature, social studies, etc. I did that for a few years and really enjoyed it. Toward the end of my...

Shotwell Candy Co. simply wouldn't be where it is today without my family and friends”. Jerrod Smith started Shotwell Candy Co. in 2012. He was working full time as a corporate attorney but somehow made time for his wife and three young children and experimenting to craft the perfect caramel. Once his business began to grow, Jerrod’s family and friends stepped up to support him in cooking, cutting, wrapping and packaging the delicious caramels.

-Tell us a little bit about Epic, and what you all do?

EPIC bars started in an effort to provide an on-the-go grassfed protein option. We created a product which not only regenerates our bodies but regenerates the land and supports animal welfare.

-How did you get into the business?

EPIC wasn’t meant to be regenerative ag focused- it was focused on grassfed meat-grassfed was better for the animals and the end consumer. However, we thought the land component was missing and began to specifically support regenerative ag.

-Why do you choose to support White Oak Pastures?

White Oak is the gold standard in meat production – it does above and beyond meat- it’s animal welfare, improving rural economies, regenerating land, it’s one of the only holistic organizations that we work with in terms...

 If you have called White Oak Pastures with a product question, and reached our Customer Service Department, you have likely spoke with Sabrina Carnley, our Order Manager. Sabrina says she has “made lifelong friends and connections here” and loves that “everybody feels like a family- I love the small town feel of everything”. Sabrina fully embraced White Oak Pastures life, moving down to Bluffton after her husband was hired by the farm. Sabrina is married to Ryan, our Permaculture Manager, and lives with her four dogs in downtown Bluffton in one of the homes the farm has renovated.

Who doesn’t love a good fruit preserve, jelly or syrup? Blackberry Patch uses local fruit to make hand crafted, small batch, genuinely high quality products. You owe it to yourself to have a quality fruit syrup if you’ve never had one. We love pairing their syrup with our ice cream and pancakes.

“The Internship Program at White Oak Pastures was once just an idea.  How many countless emails and phone calls were intercepted as students and other like-minded people began begging for the opportunity to come learn with us?  We heard you.  Now we offer one of the most comprehensive regenerative ag internships in the country.  We are not perfect.  But we are better than we were this time last year.  Success is such a personal measure.  Our success is perpetuated each time an intern leaves here with new knowledge, a realized concept, or the desire to go further and know more”.

~Laura McDonald, Human Resources Manager at White Oak Pastures

 Our Red Meat Processing Plant has the capacity to process 36 cows a day. We depend heavily on our skilled butchers who work in the Cutting Room. There are different jobs in the Cutting Room, from Breaker to Boxer. Nick Often may be the smallest person in the room, but he has an amazing work ethic and energetic spirit, and this gives him the drive to be one of our three Breakers in the Cutting Room. Nick feels his Cutting Room coworkers are like family. He explains, “In the morning, you can tell when everyone comes in, if they’re feeling good. We've been around each other so long we can tell”. Nick believes the farm has afforded him an exciting, dynamic way of life which has boosted his self esteem. “I’m one of the only people who has worked in all three areas- the field, the Poultry...