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 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.

Phil is a regenerative farmer and founder of Hopewell Farms in North Georgia. Alongside his wife Lindsay and their five children, he stewards a vibrant family-run farm committed to improving the health of land, water, and air through rotational grazing and nature-based practices. At Hopewell Farms GA, cattle, chickens, pigs, and turkeys are thoughtfully raised on pasture and in forested environments in alignment with regenerative principles. Phil brings years of hands-on farming experience and a passion for sharing practical lessons from daily life on a working farm. His teaching blends lived experience with curiosity, humility, and humor, offering participants an authentic and inspiring look at regenerative agriculture in practice.

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.

Cole is the founder of Grass Fed Valley and an experienced strategic partner and collaborator, who’s dedicated to supporting Farmers in fostering abundance in their soils, animals, and communities. His journey into Regenerative Agriculture was sparked by a personal health transformation that led him on a four-year exploration across the United States. During this time, he immersed himself in learning from and working with diverse groups of Farmers committed to soil health. Convinced that this is his life's calling, Cole now utilizes his background in finance, business development, real estate, and health & nutrition to offer tailored business support to Regenerative Farmers.

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.

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.

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!

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!