Interview - Gabe Brown
Gabe Brown didn't set out to revolutionize agriculture. He set out to survive it.
After four consecutive years of crop disasters left him $1.5 million in debt, he had no choice but to question everything he'd been taught. What emerged from that reckoning became one of the most influential farms in the regenerative agriculture movement, and eventually two organizations working to spread those lessons globally: Understanding Ag, now consulting on over 37 million acres worldwide, and Regenified, a verification company built to cut through the greenwashing.
In this episode, we look forward. Where is regenerative agriculture headed? Who's driving it, and what's standing in the way?
In this episode, we dive into:
How four years of disaster became the foundation of a regenerative farming philosophy
What it actually means to farm in synchrony with nature, and why it works anywhere
Why farmers care more about the land than they're given credit for
How to become a price maker instead of a price taker
The role of banks, insurers, and major brands in accelerating the regenerative transition
Why Gabe thinks regenerative will be the norm within 25 years
What the next generation of farmers looks like, and where they're coming from
More about Gabe Brown:
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.
Gabe recently authored the book, “Dirt to Soil, One Family’s Journey Into Regenerative Agriculture.”
Links to Gabe’s Work: