A 156-Year-Old Farm in Georgia Finds Success in Farming the Old-School Way

A 156-Year-Old Farm in Georgia Finds Success in Farming the Old-School Way
The White Oak Pastures general store in Bluffton, Ga. Courtesy of Jenni Harris
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“Waste not; want not”—the proverbial saying describes a mentality responsible for the explosive growth and popularity of White Oak Pastures in Bluffton, Georgia. Established in 1866 (just one year after the Civil War ended), White Oak remains with its founding family, the Harrises, and the current generations agree that the farm’s longevity is due to focusing not just on profits, but on the land, animals, and employees.

Jenni Harris, of the fifth generation of Harrises, handles marketing for White Oak Pastures. Growing up, she swore that she’d never permanently resided in rural Bluffton—where the town population lingers at 100 while the county (Clay) boasts around 3,000. She had an opportunity to work in Atlanta, but she moved back to Bluffton in 2010 after a stint in the big city because “what was happening at the farm was much more interesting than what was happening in the city,” she said.

Deena Bouknight
Deena Bouknight
Author
A 30-plus-year writer-journalist, Deena C. Bouknight works from her Western North Carolina mountain cottage and has contributed articles on food culture, travel, people, and more to local, regional, national, and international publications. She has written three novels, including the only historical fiction about the East Coast’s worst earthquake. Her website is DeenaBouknightWriting.com
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