Voices for Agriculture: Gabe Brown
Gabe Brown
North Dakota's Gabe Brown went from a young farmer fearing the future after several crop failures to having his image on a movie poster wearing overalls, leaning on a shovel and wearing a Superman cape in the documentary "Common Ground."
Those disasters eventually became a blessing for Brown. A spring hailstorm forced him to seed in a forage mix to feed his cattle. Under the biomass from those crop failures, he began to see richer soil and earthworms. Soon, Brown was speaking at events such as No-till on the Plains, where other farmers listened to his message about building organic matter in the soil and reducing chemical inputs.
Everyone suddenly wanted to visit Brown's place. With 2,000 to 2,500 visitors every summer, "It was like its own full-time business just showing people around the ranch," he says.
Brown, 64, has transitioned the farm to his son, Paul, while he travels up to 275 days a year speaking to farmers and at corporate events to explain the principles of regenerative agriculture.
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