Will Harris (President)

Will Harris is a fourth generation cattleman, who tends the same land that his great-grandfather settled in 1866. Born and raised at White Oak Pastures, Will left home to attend the University of Georgia’s School of Agriculture, where he was trained in the industrial farming methods that had taken hold after World War II. Will graduated in 1976 and returned to Bluffton where he and his father continued to raise cattle using pesticides, herbicides, hormones and antibiotics. They also fed their herd a high-carbohydrate diet of corn and soy.

These tools did a fantastic job of taking the cost out of the system, but in the mid-1990’s Will became disenchanted with the excesses of these industrialized methods. They had created a monoculture for their cattle, and, as Will says, “nature abhors a monoculture.” In 1995, Will made the audacious decision to return to the farming methods his great-grandfather had used 130 years before.

Since Will has successfully implemented these changes, he has been recognized all over the world as a leader in humane animal husbandry and environmental sustainability. Will is the immediate past President of the Board of Directors of Georgia Organics. He is the Beef Director of the American Grassfed Association, and was selected 2011 Business Person of the year for Georgia by the Small Business Administration.

Will lives in his family home on the property with his wife Yvonne. He is the proud father of three daughters, Jessi, Jenni, and Jodi. His favorite place in the world to be is out in pastures, where he likes to have a big coffee at sunrise and a “750ml glass of wine” at sunset.

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Brian Sapp (Director of Operations)

Brian knows good beef. Growing up on a caladium farm in Lake Placid, Florida, Brian threw himself into the study of agriculture and food production at a young age, eventually earning a B.S. in Food and Resource Economics, as well as a Masters in Animal Sciences from the University of Florida. During his studies, he also got the opportunity to work in several different roles at the university’s meat processing center.

In 2008 Brian brought his wealth of knowledge to White Oak Pastures’ brand new certified humane beef processing plant where he is in charge of day-to-day operations. Recently Brian’s domain widened when he was put in charge of constructing the new White Oak Pastures’ new poultry processing plant.

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Jenni Harris (Marketing Manager)

Jenni Harris, Will’s middle daughter, is the fifth generation of the Harris family to tend cattle at White Oak Pastures. After living on the farm her entire life, Jenni went to Valdosta State University and earned a degree in Business Marketing, graduating in 2009. She remained intimately involved in the family business throughout her studies.

After graduating, Jenni set out to learn the industry. She moved to Atlanta where she interned at Buckhead Beef, a SYSCO company. She put in time in every department, from shipping and receiving to the cut shop, and was later hired to work as a sales associate.

In June of 2010 Jenni returned home to Early County to work for White Oak Pastures full time. As the marketing manager, Jenni travels the East Coast promoting her family’s grass-fed beef, free-range chicken and lamb to distributors, retailers, and restaurateurs.

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Hilary Halford (Office Manager)

Hilary Halford is an Early County native who was raised by a livestock auctioneer in Arlington, Georgia. After graduating from Early County High School, Hilary attended Troy University in Troy, Alabama, where she received a BA in Fine Art. She has lived in Montgomery, Alabama; Richmond, Virginia; and Salisbury, North Carolina, and earned a Masters Degree in Sociology. Hilary moved back home to Early County in 2008, and has been office manager at White Oak Pastures since 2010. Though Hilary is a woman of many talents having worked for a diverse group of organizations, she considers her daughters Hannah and Hayden to be her two greatest accomplishments.

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Tripp Eldridge (Organic Farm Manager)

Born in East Texas, Tripp considers himself more a native of central Georgia. Back in 2003, Tripp received a B.A. in Sociology and a minor in Anthropology from the University of Georgia. After graduation, Tripp volunteered with the United States Peace Corps in Tanzania, focusing in sustainable agriculture and community empowerment. In 2006, Tripp apprenticed at Wilson College’s Fulton Farm in Pennsylvania, participating in the Sustainable Ag Internship Training Alliance. In 2009, he completed a Master’s degree in Public Health at Georgia Southern University with a focus in Community Health. Most recently before coming to White Oak Pastures, Tripp managed and DogPatch Farm (a micro CSA) in Macon, Georgia, while employed full-time with the Georgia Department of Agriculture’s food safety division. Tripp is excited about growing healthy food, making excellent compost, and continuing to support the local food movement from this beautiful corner of Southwest GA.

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Justin Wiley

A Georgia native, Justin Wiley was born in Albany, Georgia. Throughout his entire childhood he helped on his grandfather’s farm which raised cattle and small crops. During his high school years at Randolph Southern in Shellman, Georgia, Justin worked for a farmer that raised a lot of cattle. In July of 2009, soon after graduating high school, Justin began working at White Oak Pastures as a meat cutter. He soon learned all of the cuts of beef and processes - from breaking down a cow to boning out the trim for ground beef. Justin is now in charge of all of the shipping and receiving for White Oak Pastures and is proud to be a part of the White Oak Family.  

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