For three generations, the Harris family farmed White Oak Pastures, based in southern Georgia, the conventional way, relying heavily on chemicals, pesticides, and antibiotics. In the mid-1990s, fourth-generation farmer Will Harris started the transition to regenerative methods, which prioritize building and preserving healthy soils, avoiding synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and minimal or no tilling.
Like many regenerative farmers and proponents, Harris intently listened to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins’s Dec. 10 introduction of a Regenerative Pilot Program that will allocate $700 million to support regenerative agriculture.
