Dirt to Dinner part 3: Regenerating Land, Livestock, and Rural America with Will Harris

Guest: Will Harris, fourth-generation cattleman and owner of White Oak Pastures, a pioneering regenerative farm in Bluffton, Georgia.

Episode Overview:

In the final installment of Dirt to Dinner on the Modern Farming podcast, we sit down with Will Harris, a leader in regenerative agriculture who transformed his family’s farm from an industrialized cattle operation into a sustainable, pasture-based, vertically integrated farm. Will shares his journey of moving away from conventional farming methods and embracing humane animal husbandry, environmental sustainability, and rural community revitalization.

Topics Covered:

✔️ The History of White Oak Pastures – From industrialized cattle farming to regenerative agriculture.

✔️ Indicators of Land Health – Earthworms, plant diversity, soil organic matter, and more.

✔️ The Importance of Allowing Animals to Exhibit Natural Behaviors – How rotational grazing and multispecies farming contribute to ecosystem health.

✔️ Revitalizing Bluffton, Georgia – The economic and social impact of regenerative farming on a rural community.

✔️ The Challenges & Rewards of Regenerative Agriculture – Why it’s a high-risk, low-reward model in the short term but leads to long-term health, ecological, and rural revival benefits.

✔️ Farm Operations & Land Management – Managing 5,000 acres, moving cattle daily, and rotating species strategically.

✔️ Education & Outreach – White Oak Pastures’ 501(c)(3) nonprofit and internship programs for training the next generation of regenerative farmers.

✔️ The Three-Legged Stool of Farming Success – Balancing production, processing, and marketing to create a thriving farm business.

About White Oak Pastures:

A six-generation family farm dedicated to regenerative agriculture, White Oak Pastures raises 10 species of livestock, produces organic vegetables, and operates on-farm red meat and poultry abattoirs—one of the only farms in the U.S. to do so. With 155 employees, the farm is not just regenerating land but also rebuilding the rural community of Bluffton, Georgia.

🔗 Learn More: White Oak Pastures Website https://whiteoakpastures.com/

• White Oak Pastures Farm - ​​White Oak Pastures is a six-generation family farm in south Georgia, pasture-raising 10 species of livestock, eggs, organic vegetables, honey, and other things. We do this on almost 5,000 acres of land, in a radically traditional way. White Oak Pastures is Radically Traditional Farming. Every day, we butcher meat from animals raised in a regenerative manner using humane animal management practices. This is no easy task, but it is our passion. To operate our vertically integrated, zero-waste model, it takes 155 caring people working together to accomplish a common goal: taking care of our land and our livestock. We are one of the only farms in the United States that have both red meat and poultry abattoirs on our farm. The uniqueness of these two enormous investments demonstrates White Oak Pastures' commitment to regenerative agriculture. We don’t just talk the talk, we walk the walk. White Oak Pastures is rebuilding the Bluffton Community. Rural communities like our village of Bluffton, Georgia, had been the backbone of our culture. But, for the last two generations, they have been sinking into oblivion. This is because they were made irrelevant by the industrialized, centralized, and commoditized farming system. In the last ten years, the impact of our farm on this small town of 100 people has been dramatic. We now employ 155 good people who are eating, shopping, and living in Bluffton. Farming must not only be sustainable; it has to be regenerative. White Oak Pastures' system effectively captures soil carbon, offsetting a majority of the emissions related to beef production.