A Bold Return to Giving a Damn: A Book by Will Harris
One Farm, Six Generations, and the Future of Food
As we continue to share regenerative organic resources, we felt like we just had to include the book A Bold Return to Giving a Damn, written by Will Harris.
Will Harris, a fourth-generation farmer, tells the story of how he went from running White Oak Pastures like any other industrial farm to becoming a leader in regenerative agriculture. In the early days, he heavily relied on chemicals, antibiotics, and industrial farming methods, following the same practices his ancestors had used to run the farm for generations. Over time, he found himself frustrated with the excess, cruelty, and devastation this system entailed, and how it was harming both the land and his small-town community.
As I approached 40 years of age my view of how I should treat my land, my herd, and my community radically evolved... in ways that I would never have expected. My perception of what is good land stewardship and what is good animal welfare, and what is good community service turned upside down. Good land management came to mean giving up utilizing harmful industrial reductionist science tools like pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Good animal welfare came to mean moving from merely not treating animals with cruelty to allowing them to express their instinctive behavior. Good community development came to mean evolving my hometown (Bluffton, Georgia) from a literal ghost town into a delightful little village. I realized that what I had done was good, and important, and highly replicable. I understood that if I could tell my story to other farmers and ranchers, they too could find the courage to step outside the horribly damaging commodity agricultural production system. I wanted to share my 30-plus-year journey with others who might decide to make the same choice.
-Will Harris, author of A Bold Return to Giving a Damn
A truly inspiring story that reminds us that change isn't just possible—it's essential for building a better, more sustainable future for our food systems.
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