You may recall from a previous blog, my wonderful counterpart – the ACTIVIST- ventured over valley and dale to the back roads of Georgia in order to pay a visit to a man whom we count as an ally to Vital Awareness: Mr. Will Harris and his agricultural promised land White Oak Pastures. The praises and exultations she sang were nothing short of reverent. This of course meant that the cynic in me – damn you philosophy degree- had to see this for my self in order to make sure the glasses through which she viewed were not simply rose tinted.
A few weeks ago, I too prevailed the same terrain – with Gillian in toe- and was overjoyed in the discovery that the glass was crystal clear. Will and White Oaks Pastures is everything it is cracked up to be. I was greeted by a man whose demeanour was nothing short of radiant; a good ole boy with a heart of gold possessing a spark of piss, vinegar and ethic of hard work and firm love. Not bad for a first impression, eh?
Will is a gem of a man. Thus, since Gillian provided you with information about the operation of White Oak Pastures in such masterly detail I shall endeavour to conduct this blog upon a more personal level and talk about Will the man and the farmer, as it is his spirit that is the driving force behind White Oaks.
After exploring the new organic garden and both the Beef and Poultry processing plants –including the killing floor, an environment so efficient and sterile it was hard to believe it had been utilised only a day before- we clambered into Will’s trusty jeep and set off to venture the bountiful acres of the farm. The land that comprises White Oak Pastures is compelling. Will has ensured the environment is given full reign: nature is, as it would appear, as nature does. What White Oak Pastures, and what Will subsequently stands for, is an affront against Big Agriculture, where the unfortunate majority of our current meat and dairy supply comes from. White Oak Pastures meat can be purchased and enjoyed at Whole Foods, Yeah! Burger, Buckhead Beef and Publix. White Oak Pastures is a model that stands up to Tyson, Perdue and Smithfield (the largest meat suppliers in the industry) and doesn’t only play with the big boys but can give them a run for their money. White Oak shows that common market consumption doesn’t mean cutting corners on environmental, worker or animal welfare. Instead, it is possible to produce on a commercial scale and still maintain the utmost of integrity: and that is why Will is my own personal hero.
So back to Will the man and the rancher. Why I love Will Harris is, that despite his confidence and charm, the humility towards his animals and the environment is apparent right out of the gate. He is a man who is not afraid to testify his weakness at the feet of Mother Nature. Passing the chickens- squawking, pecking and scratching at their leisure- I noticed a group of hawks circling scanning the field for a meal. I quizzed Will as to his stance on this and his reply floored me. I should probably tell you that Will isn’t some city slicker like myself wanting to rough it and make good, he is a famer from way back. His pappy and grand pappy and great grand pappy were all farmers, he knows the drill and he knows the trends and he ain’t ashamed to admit he is a “good ole’ boy from the south”. However, during what Will describes as a midlife crisis of sorts he woke up to the realisation that perhaps the way he was doing things, they way his father and grandfather did things and the training he received through the UGA animal husbandry program, just didn’t feel right somehow.
This wake up call prompted him to radically change his farming practices… although Will admits it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Like anyone who suddenly has a eureka moment, one has a tendency not to think things through and Will was no exception. Apparently, it isn’t quite as straight forward as releasing the herd onto pastures green…especially when there isn’t much green there to start with. Thus began a long struggle with assimilating the herd and a nasty battle with Nitrogen Phosphate addiction – thankfully Will has been in recovery for a while now- as Will battled to move away from a lifetime of conventional agriculture and animal husbandry http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8ccDb6n5Wg&ob=av2etowards what he believes -and what proves to be- the only form of farming that truly stands for sustainable and ethical practices. Yet, Will prevailed. He stuck to it and admits that farming is and always has been a journey and not a destination. After establishing his herd and his farm, Will began to bring more animals into his proverbial fold (pun intended). Will practices the Serengeti method of farming: his pastures consist of large ruminants (cows), smaller ruminants (sheep and goats- the goats are a bit of a bug bear for our good friend: twice we were forced to begrudgingly herd them back into there assigned pasture; I suppose that is what happens when there are no fences) and fowl. As the larger ruminants are moved to another pasture, the smaller come and graze on different grasses and then finally birds and fowl feed off the bugs and insects that remain. It is a rich and simple method of farming inspired, obviously, by the harmony of the African grasslands and the only method of livestock farming that Will would ever consider practicing.
Will has received a lot of flack for his growing selection of livestock. Folks misunderstand his intentions it would appear, chalking his enthusiasm toward increasing species variety to greed and a way to get his fingers in more of the proverbial pies. Now, don’t get me wrong, Will is a business man and is doing this for profit, but that is not why he chose the Serengeti method as his desired method. Will has a deep respect for his animals, the environment and the often times brutal truth of the natural order. In fact he stated that he would sooner go back to using chemical fertilizers before he would even consider reverting to mono-culture farming, and he ain’t gonna do that anytime soon!
Like I said before, Will –despite his larger than life personality and wit- has a deep humility for enormity of nature.
So back to Wills answer regarding the hawks and as to whether he worried about predation? His answer was that of a man with a profound respect for the omnipotence of the earth. Some chicks and chickens will be taken away by a hawk, but Will believes and hopes that those that do were weaker and perhaps would not have survived anyhow. He has this same faith when it comes to his waterfowl and the ‘gators who reside in the murky depths of his on site lake. For Will, Hawks aren’t his biggest problem; Hawks kill one single bird at a time, whereas the Coyotes who prowl the outskirts of the farm kill indiscriminately hence his need for the Great Pyrenees lounging the fields. The beautiful Great Pyrenees are a more preferable option to traps and guns.
Never have I had the good fortune to meet a man who has the deep appreciation and empathy towards the natural order. To talk with Will is to talk not only to a bastion of farming but a warden of the earth. Will works to maintain harmony with nature and honour her power.
Vital Awareness has no bigger advocate than Will Harris, and in turn he has no stronger supporter than Vital Awareness. He his a man I hold in no higher esteem. When Farmer, Foodie and Vegan can work together in a cause that has such an impact on the welfare of this planet and its inhabitants, well it’s a beautiful thing baby!
So, shop ethically, shop mindful and do me a favour: give Will Harris a call. In short, stay true, stay real and stay humble… cos its all about good eatin’ y’all.
Love always THE EPICUREAN
