Lots of good things result from the success of that one business in yesterday's post, the Harris farm ("White Oak Pastures") of Bluffton, Georgia. Will's decision to stop following the industrial farming model - and to start the sustainable grazing model - initiated ripples of improvement and prosperity beyond his family.
Originally a beef monoculture, the farm now additionally has goats, chickens, sheep, ducks, turkeys, rabbits, and more. Chickens graze a field after cattle move on, spreading manure and feeding on larvae breeding in it. Small ruminants also follow cattle. Will says the animals are healthier and happier every year.
Land that supported only cows years ago now now supports lots of diverse life - all of which make the land better. There's more microbial life in the soil, it absorbs much more water (instead of letting it run off), and more carbon is sequestered in it.
Animals, land, Harris family, 100+ employees, businesses they buy from - all benefit because the folks at White Oak Pastures create value. It all works because they serve a market niche that is willing to pay the price for these products.
Will says, "Technically I work 16 hours a day but I don't feel like I work at all! I would do for free what I do for a living." That's passion.
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