White Oak Pastures

Resilience is the word that comes to mind when Will Harris talks about White Oak Pastures.  

Since taking over the Bluffton, Georgia, family farm in 1995, the fourth-generation farmer has spent over 20 years focused on doing things differently. 

He inherited the post-World War II industrial model of farming from his father, which focused on raising cattle using pesticides, herbicides, hormones, and antibiotics. Soon, Harris began to feel the method was damaging the health of the land, promoted waste, and was inhumane to the animals. Going against the grain was financially challenging, but as he worked over the years to reclaim the holistic farming approach of his great-grandfather, something he calls “radically traditional farming,” Harris saw vitality return to White Oak Pastures.  

Because of his efforts, today the farm is Clay County’s largest private employer. With 180 employees, White Oak Pastures operates as a thriving, 5,000-acre ecosystem.  

In addition to cattle, the family farm now pasture-raises nine species of livestock: hogs, sheep, goats, rabbits, chickens, turkeys, geese, guinea fowl, and ducks. The farm has built two USDA-inspected abattoirs (one for red meat and one for poultry) where the animals are humanely processed. No part of the animal goes to waste, with hides and tallow turned into handmade goods and any other remains converted to compost for the pastures. The farm also produces honey, organic vegetables, and pastured eggs, along with other ancillary businesses. 

White Oak Pastures focuses on regenerative agriculture, which means they leave the land and the system better off with every passing year. Allowing the animals to graze in their pastures creates natural fertilizer for the land, captures carbon, and reduces erosion.  

The revitalization of the town of Bluffton is a byproduct of the farm’s wide-ranging positive effects. It’s an economic development success story that Harris speaks of with fierce pride. When Harris first began re-implementing traditional practices, the only thing you could buy in the town was a postage stamp. Today, there is a general store, a restaurant, choices between lodging or an RV park for guests, and an event center, all run by White Oak Pastures. Added in 2016, the general store is one of the few places in the area that sells Georgia Grown products, in addition to leather products like bags, dog collars, and belts.  

“By the time I started in the mid-90s, the community had been dying all my life,” Harris said. “I was certain there was nothing I could do to change that or influence that, so I didn’t try. But when I changed the kind of agriculture practices that we utilize, the town responded. And it’s gone from a ghost town to a very pleasant place, people want to live here, people visit here.” 

Most of the people who live at the farm are passion-driven and come from all over the country specifically to work there. Many have advanced degrees, and many start as interns and stay on as managers, providing a stream of talent. Some could make more money elsewhere, Harris says, but stay for the shared purpose and sense of community.  

People also pay to stay and learn about the farm.  

In 2021, White Oak Pastures created a nonprofit educational program called The Center for Agriculture Resilience, which provides four-day learning sessions with the purpose of teaching people to think about the food production system differently. Session attendees have included farmers, environmental attorneys, community planners, chefs, people in the food industry, and interested citizens. Teaching people what he has learned over the past 25 years about managing land and livestock, producing food, and growing community is important to Harris, because he knows his way of farming can be replicated elsewhere.  

Harris said he thinks about the generational impact his farm will have, not about quarterly reports. Two of his daughters and their families work at the farm, continuing the work his great-grandfather started in 1866.  

“I am far better off because of the things my grandfather and great-grandfather did,” Harris said. “And I want my grandchildren and great-grandchildren to be far better off 50 years from now because of the things I’m doing. And I think that that’s how the world is made better.” 

For these reasons and more, White Oak Pastures is named a 2023 Small Business ROCK STAR.

Every year in honor of Georgia Small Business Week, the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) and the Georgia Economic Developers Association (GEDA) team up to present a few outstanding small businesses with the title of Small Business ROCK STARS. The awards salute the risks, innovations, outreach, and impact of the state’s small businesses. Each of this year’s winners have fewer than 300 full-time employees, make a positive impact in their community, and were founded in the State of Georgia. Learn more about the program and the rest of the 2023 ROCK STARS and nominate a company for the 2024 Small Business Rock Star Awards.