Potcast 219: Reshaping the Future of Agriculture with Gabe Brown
Understanding Ag - Gabe Brown is a partner, along with David Kleinschmidt, Shane New, Kathy Richburg, and Dr. Allen Williams, in Understanding Ag LLC. He is also an instructor for Soil Health Academy, which focuses on teaching others the power and importance of healthy functioning ecosystems.
I am delighted to share today’s conversation with you. Last year during my potcast with Daniel Fink of Down Om Farms he introduced me to the book and teachings of today’s guest.
Gabe Brown is one of the pioneers of the current soil health movement which focuses on the regeneration of our resources.
Gabe, along with his wife Shelly, and son Paul, own and operate Brown's Ranch, a diversified 5,000 acre farm and ranch near Bismarck, North Dakota. The ranch consists of several thousand acres of native perennial rangeland along with perennial pastureland and cropland. Their ranch focuses on farming and ranching in nature's image.
Over 2,000 people visit the Brown's Ranch annually to see this unique operation. They have had visitors from all fifty states and twenty-four foreign countries.
Gabe and Brown's Ranch have received many forms of recognition for their work, including a Growing Green award from the Natural Resource Defense Council, an Environmental Stewardship Award from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, and a Zero-Till Producer of the Year Award, to name a few. Gabe has also been named one of the twenty-five most influential agricultural leaders in the United States.
And he authored the book, “Dirt to Soil, One Family’s Journey Into Regenerative Agriculture.” I reached out to Gabe in early October of last year after reading Dirt to Soil inviting him to join me on the potcast to offer us insights into reshaping the future of agriculture in our own communities.
We talk about shifting into a mindset of stewardship and getting buy-in from family and community. We discuss the financial opportunities of regenerative ag and the cost-savings of working with nature. Gabe explains the flaws of conventional soil tests and offers alternative solutions, real world examples, educational resources, and insights into some of the projects his consultancy - Understanding Ag - is rolling out. We also talk about my own family’s journey.
You don’t need to be a farmer or rancher to appreciate today’s chat.
Every living, breathing being on this planet is affected by the health of our soil. And your power as a consumer shopping for food is the ultimate key to reshaping the health of our world. From clean water, to nutrient dense food to terpene rich cannabis and happy, healthy humans - regenerative agriculture is the key to healing our planet. So smoke ‘em if you got ‘em and settle in. It’s time to get casually baked.
Resources & Recommendations from Gabe
Soil Testing
It’s important to use laboratory services focusing on Regenerative Agriculture. Regen Ag Lab’s focus is to assist the restoration of our soil, water and air resources by delivering quality, integrity and accuracy in every analytical result.
Healthy Soil, Healthy Gut
We know that our diet influences our health. But is there more to the adage "you are what you eat?" Connecting the dots from agriculture to medicine, geologist David R. Montgomery and biologist Anne Bikle argue we overlook the other half of a healthy diet: how we grow our food.
Journeying from research labs to the fields of regenerative farmers, they uncover scientific and historical evidence for how farming practices-so often disruptive to microbial partnerships-influence soil health and shape the types and amounts of health-promoting minerals, fats and phytochemicals in our crops, meat and dairy-and thus ourselves. Understanding these connections has profound implications for what we eat and how we grow it, now and in the future. A capstone work from lauded authors, What Your Food Ate is a story both sobering and inspiring: what's good for the soil is good for us, too.
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