When Will Harris III inherited White Oak Pastures, the farm totaled about 1,000 acres. As we transitioned toward regenerative agriculture, bit by bit, we started acquiring nearby farmland. Today, our farm owns or manages around 5,000 acres of pasture.
White Oak Pastures now has flocks totalling around 2,000 sheep (up from 200 sheep in July 2019). Our sheep graze everywhere from the forest land bordering our pastures to underneath solar panels.
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.
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.”
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.
What if renewable energy was not just sustainable, but was also regenerative?
White Oak Pastures’ new partnership with Silicon Ranch Corporation is bringing regenerative land management to almost 2,400 solar farm acres in Southwest Georgia. White Oak Pastures will be implementing holistic planned...
Fact: American grassfed beef ranches have lost most of their profitability in the last few years.
I have found it necessary to rethink encouraging new producers to embrace our regenerative cattle production model. I now feel compelled to warn them to be very careful. This is because we veteran...
Cage-free, Free Range, pasture-raised, organic: poultry and eggs come advertised with a head-scratching number of “labels” and descriptions. Although these labels may sound similar, some qualifications are more regulated than others and they all indicate completely different levels of animal...
6 Reasons To Eat Pasture-Raised in 2020
With Thanksgiving and Christmas behind us, I begin reflecting on the year that has come and gone. There are always things I wish I had accomplished, but also those projects for which I’m proud to have completed. This valuable reflection allows me the opportunity to set goals (or resolutions) for...
2019 By the Numbers: Will Harris’ Year-End Recap
This has been a landmark year for White Oak Pastures. So many good things have happened. These are things that I never would have believed could be possible here.