Dirt to Soil: One Family's Journey Into Regenerative Agriculture - Paperback

by Gabe Brown (Author)

"A regenerative no-till pioneer."--NBC News

"Dirt to Soil is the [regenerative farming] movements' holy text."--The Observer

Gabe Brown (from the award-winning docs "Kiss the Ground" and "Common Ground") shares 20 years of experience on regenerative agriculture principles from his North Dakota family farm

Gabe Brown began working on his family farm in North Dakota without intending to revolutionize agriculture. However, after a series of weather-related crop failures left him in financial trouble, he and his family adopted innovative farming practices to survive.

Brown experimented with regenerative agriculture, reducing the use of herbicides, insecticides, and synthetic fertilizers, and implementing no-till planting, diverse cover crops, and new grazing methods. This transformation revitalized their farm's ecosystem, starting with the soil.

The Brown's Ranch model focuses on regenerating resources by continuously enhancing the living biology in the soil.

Brown's 5 Principles of Soil Health:

- Limited Disturbance
- Armor
- Diversity
- Living Roots
- Integrated Animals

Brown's Ranch has regenerated resources, growing several inches of new topsoil and producing various crops and livestock. Brown emphasizes a shift in mindset from killing to fostering life on the land, highlighting that the greatest obstacle to solving problems is the human mind.

Author Biography

Gabe Brown is a pioneer of the soil-health movement and has been named one of the twenty-five most influential agricultural leaders in the United States. Brown, his wife, Shelly, and son, Paul, own Brown's Ranch, a holistic, diversified 5,000-acre farm and ranch near Bismarck, North Dakota. The Browns integrate their grazing and no-till cropping systems, which include cash crops and multi-species cover crops along with all-natural, grass-finished beef and lamb, pastured pork, and laying hens. The Brown family has received a Growing Green Award from the Natural Resources Defense Council, an Environmental Stewardship Award from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, and the USA Zero-Till Farmer of the Year Award.