Humans, Extinction, And 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

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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