White Oak Pastures
A fourth-generation farmer, Will Harris champions an agricultural model he calls "Radical Traditional"—one which trades pesticides and hormones for healthy, free-roaming animals, and a symbiotic relationship with the land. Making the conscious decision in 1995 to return to a production system that is better for the environment, for animals, and for the people who eat these meats, Harris reinstituted the multi-species rotational grazing practices of his forefathers. His family is fiercely proud of their zero-waste radically tradition farming practices, and the farm and family have now come full circle. Today, they raise 10 species of livestock. They process the animals on the farm, and market the beef, lamb, poultry, rabbits, eggs, vegetables, leather products, tallow goods, and pet chews directly to consumers who appreciate their artisan, small-batch products. Chances are, if you’ve bought grass-fed meat at Publix, Whole Foods, or Kroger, you’ve probably eaten meat from Harris' farm, White Oak Pastures.
Will's first book, A BOLD RETURN TO GIVING A DAMN, will publish with Viking in 2024. It provides a guide to producing food the right way. Supply chains are straining, climate-induced catastrophes are playing havoc with harvests, and concerns around who owns America’s farmland are more prescient than ever. Harris urges people to consider a shift. We need to know where the food we eat really comes from and re-connect to the places and people who raise what we eat each day. Harris shows us why it’s never been more important to know your farmer than now.
A BOLD RETURN TO GIVING A DAMN
