Humans, Extinction, And Nature - Will Harris | #91
Episode description
Will Harris is a sixth-generation cattleman and owner of White Oak Pastures, a 158-year-old family farm in Bluffton, Georgia. Since 1866, the Harris family has practiced land-based farming rooted in regeneration, humane animal husbandry, and zero-waste production.
In this episode, Will reflects on the farm’s evolution from industrial cattle operations to a living ecosystem. He discusses soil, community, balance, symbiosis in an ecosstem, rural farming communities, stewardship, organic matter, his family history, and more.
Key Topics
- 6 generations of farming - from industrial cattle to regenerative systems
- Rebuilding Bluffton’s rural economy through local food
- Soil carbon, organic matter, and ecological limits
- The moral and generational lessons of land stewardship
- Rethinking success: humility, balance, and long-term thinking
Why You Should Listen
- How six generations turned an industrial farm into a living ecosystem.
- Why killing pests and controlling nature backfired
- What it takes to rebuild a town’s economy
- The real economics of land, legacy, and long-term thinking.
- Why humility- not technology - is the key to surviving the human dilemma.
Connect With White Oak Pastures
Timestamps
00:00:00 — White Oak Pastures and 158 years of family farming
00:05:00 — Industrial agriculture and losing balance
00:08:00 — The cost of control: chemicals and confinement
00:11:00 — Soil carbon, fertility, and organic matter
00:16:00 — Working within nature’s limits
00:25:00 — Rejecting tech fixes and restoring balance
00:34:00 — Internships, purpose, and community revival
00:42:00 — Bluffton’s renewal through local production
00:50:00 — Land, debt, and long-term stewardship
00:55:00 — Generational transfer and humility
01:08:00 — Observation, faith, and living with nature