Humans, Extinction, And Rethinking Nature - Will Harris | #91

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
Website - https://whiteoakpastures.com/
Instagram -   / whiteoakpastures  

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