Meet Our CFAR EVENTS Team
Immersive introduction to regenerative agriculture
Will Harris
CFAR Founder
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-1990s 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 Grass-fed 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 with his herds, where he likes to have a big coffee at sunrise and a 750ml glass of wine at sunset.
Dale Caldwell
Executive Director
Dale brings over fifteen years of experience working with federal, state, and local government agencies, non-profit organizations, and higher education institutions. He specializes in environmental education, advocacy, and enforcement of the federal Clean Water Act.
Before joining CFAR, Dale served as a Regional Director for Chattahoochee Riverkeeper while teaching Environmental Studies at the University of North Georgia. His earlier roles included managing coastal watershed programs, overseeing regulatory compliance, and contributing to policy development with Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources; leading longleaf-pine ecosystem restoration efforts with Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; and implementing agricultural best management practices with Georgia’s Soil and Water Conservation Commission.
Dale holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences from the University of Georgia. Outside of his professional work, he enjoys exploring the great outdoors with his fiancé, Michelle, and participating in high-performance driving.
Lydon Olivares
Education Coordinator
Lydon Olivares is originally from Kernville, located in Kern County, California. Livestock production, the food system, and the environment have been significant to Lydon since his youth, as he attended an environmental magnet school as a child and was an active member of 4-H for a decade and both FFA and FCCLA throughout high school. Lydon bred, raised, and showed beef cattle, dairy goats, market sheep, poultry rabbits, and cavies. He feels strongly that having a close connection to the food you nourish your body with is vital to having a good life.
For college, he found himself in Providence, Rhode Island, earning a B.S. in Sustainable Food Systems with a focus in Environmental Sustainability at Johnson & Wales University. During his senior year, Lydon participated in the Farm and Animal Production Internship at White Oak Pastures, where his passion for regenerative agriculture grew fiercely.
After graduating, he moved to Bluffton, Georgia, where he now works as the Education Coordinator for the Center for Agricultural Resilience and White Oak Pastures. Lydon feels grateful to work and live in a community of like-minded individuals who strive to improve how we produce food, consume food, and care for the ecosystems around us.
John Beniot
WOP Director of Livestock
John, White Oak Pastures' Director of Livestock, is from Fitzgerald, Georgia. John attended Valdosta State University and has been at White Oak Pastures since December 2012. John is the proud father of Hattie and Harris Benoit and husband to Director of Farm Experience, Jodi Benoit.
Jenni Harris
WOP Director of Marketing
Jenni Harris, Will's middle daughter, is a member of 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 Director of Marketing, Jenni spends her time focusing on the balance of ecommerce growth and wholesale relationships. Jenni is the proud mother of Jack and Lottie Harris and wife of Director of Specialty Products, Amber Harris.
Jodi Harris Beniot
WOP Director of Farm Experience
Jodi Harris Benoit, Will's youngest daughter, is a member of the the fifth generation of the Harris family to tend livestock at White Oak Pastures. Jodi has always played an active role in helping her dad and the cowboys work cattle each season. Jodi graduated from Valdosta State University and earned a degree in Speech Communication in 2012.
After graduating, Jodi followed her dad's rule, working away from the farm for at least one year. She was a Support Coordinator for Professional Case Management Services of America. In this position, she was an advocate for adults with developmental disabilities. In January of 2014, Jodi began working full time at White Oak Pastures.
As the Director of Farm Experience, she is responsible for education, giving guided tours of the farm, and overseeing on-farm lodging, dining and the General Store in downtown Bluffton. Jodi is also the proud mother of Hattie, Harris, and Haisten who are part of the 6th generation of the farm.
Amber Harris
WOP Director of Specialty Products
Amber Harris, Director of Specialty Products, was born in Adairsville, Georgia. After several years of living in Atlanta, she moved to White Oak Pastures in June of 2013. She believes she has finally become acclimated to the culture shock experienced with moving from a big city to one with a population of 88. Other than loving the farm, Jenni Harris played a pretty big part in bringing her to Bluffton to live, work, and build a family. Although she came to us with no farming background, she is passionate about our zero-waste practices and has helped create our tallow kitchen, leather workshop, and pet chews department. Amber and Jenni can be found most evenings chasing their 4-year-old son, Jack, around the pasture and teaching him that chicken eggs are not to be thrown like a ball, they are to be eaten!
Scott Cleveland
WOP Cattle Production Manager
Scott Cleveland, born and raised in Miller/Early County, spent most of his life on his grandfather's farm where his family still raises cattle. There, Scott developed a deep-rooted interest in raising livestock. Scott is a proud father to his son and best friend, Aidan Cleveland. Scott joined the White Oak Pasture team in late 2018 where he was hired as a cattle hand. After working there for several months, Scott was presented with the opportunity to become the Cattle Production Manager. Scott is proud to be entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing the entire cattle operation from birth to slaughter. Scott doesn't see this as just a job but as an opportunity to be with an extended family doing what he loves doing!
Bridget Hogan
WOP Small Ruminants Manager
Bridget was born and raised in Lawrenceville, GA outside of Atlanta and despite growing up in the suburbs always wanted to be a farmer when she grew up. She graduated with a degree in Economics and International Relations from Georgia State University in 2010 and spent the next nine years in sales and operations. In 2019, Bridget reclaimed her childhood dream when she came to White Oak Pastures as an intern. She fell in love with the small ruminants department and took a full-time position assisting in the development of the solar grazing operation. Bridget now manages the small ruminants team.
Kris Wentzell
WOP Farm Operations Manager
Kris, our Farm Operations Manager, was born and raised in the hills of Central Massachusetts where his family had a small farm many years ago. He grew up playing ice hockey as a goalie for 23 years. He met his wife in 2009, and in 2014, they found their way to Southwest Georgia, where they found a house, some land, and White Oak Pastures. He started off as our delivery truck driver, making weekly runs to Atlanta, and also working in the red meat abattoir. He then started working with our livestock production departments and was then promoted to the Farm Operations Manager, overseeing many crews that keep the farm running: carpentry, fencing, maintenance. With his interest and training in humane stockmanship, he also plays a role in moving our flocks and herds. You may also find him feeding orphaned sheep, operating heavy equipment, planting grass, hauling hay, and anything else to help keep operations moving smoothly. He spends his free time with his wife Danyelle, daughter Kali, and son Coleman, who enjoy traveling to horse shows where Kali competes in speed events such as barrel racing. They also enjoy camping and hanging out at home with their many animals.
Jessica Shaw
WOP Poultry & Hog Manager
Jessica is the poultry and hog manager at White Oak Pastures. Her background includes a biology degree, health-supportive culinary arts degree, permaculture certificate, and experience in forestry, conservation, and animal husbandry. As a young adult, she embraced the rewilding movement and thought wild foods were superior to agriculturally produced foods. After finding deer rumens and turkey crops full of neonicotinoid-covered corn and working on a “conservation” project that involved spraying herbicide to control invasive plants on public land, Jess realized that wild foods weren't guaranteed to be cleaner than agriculturally produced foods. This led to an interest in farming in a way that mimics nature as much as possible. Finding ways to raise livestock that bring them closer to their biological norm is what excites her most about her job at White Oak Pastures!
Olivier Deslandes
WOP Internet Fulfillment Shipping Manager
Olivier's journey into the real food movement and the Paleo diet led him to the Savory Institute. Back home, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti he experimented with tropical fruit trees and vegetable gardening. Carbon sequestration, healthy food, and business profitability are what drew him to our internship program in the summer of 2017. "I love plants, animals, and being outside" he says and loves studying Regenerative Agriculture since 2013. Olivier later accepted a position as the Hog program assistant manager where he spent 2 years raising our Iberian hogs and heritage breeds. In 2019 he transferred to the Cattle department and gained a whole new understanding and appreciation for the positive impact these animals can have on our land when managed properly. The next chapter in this journey is more on the infrastructure side of the farm where Olivier was called to manage the Fence team. His position has evolved and he is now the Internet Fulfillment Shipping Manager.
Lindsey Sauerwein
WOP Organic Garden & Rabbit Manager
Lindsey was born and raised in Westfield, New Jersey - a suburban town outside of New York City. She graduated from Boston College with a degree in Finance and worked for eight years at PwC as a management consultant for financial institutions. Her love for farming began with a passion for promoting health and nutrition. She left her career in consulting to learn what it takes to produce nourishing food as she travelled down the East Coast working on farms. She came to White Oak Pastures as an intern in 2021 and she and her husband fell in love with the White Oak community. Lindsey is the Livestock Data Manager and Organic Garden / Rabbit Manager and enjoys blending her consulting skills with her love for farming.
Justin Wiley
WOP Processing Manager
Justin "Buck" Wiley began working at White Oak Pastures in July of 2009. He was hired as a butcher and worked hard to prove himself until he was promoted to Processing Manager. Buck takes pride in his work and in making our customers happy. He manages 38 employees and 35 head of cattle each day in the Red Meat Abattoir. He arrives at the plant early in the morning and is typically one of the last people to leave. He carries a lot of responsibility, but also has the pleasure of working with some of his best friends every day. He's a great guy, with a huge heart and a constant smile on his face. We couldn't be happier to have him as part of our work family!
