Dirt to Soil

One Family’s Journey into Regenerative Agriculture

By: Gabe Brown

Narrated by: Gabe Brown

Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Gabe Brown didn’t set out to change the world when he first started working alongside his father-in-law on the family farm in North Dakota. But as a series of weather-related crop disasters put Brown and his wife, Shelly, in desperate financial straits, they started making bold changes to their farm.

Brown - in an effort to simply survive - began experimenting with new practices he’d learned about from reading and talking with innovative researchers and ranchers. As he and his family struggled to keep the farm viable, they found themselves on an amazing journey into a new type of farming: regenerative agriculture. Brown dropped the use of most of the herbicides, insecticides, and synthetic fertilizers that are a standard part of conventional agriculture. He switched to no-till planting, started planting diverse cover crops mixes, and changed his grazing practices. In doing so, Brown transformed a degraded farm ecosystem into one full of life - starting with the soil and working his way up, one plant and one animal at a time.

In Dirt to Soil, Gabe Brown tells the story of that amazing journey and offers a wealth of innovative solutions to our most pressing and complex contemporary agricultural challenge - restoring the soil. The Brown’s Ranch model, developed over 20 years of experimentation and refinement, focuses on regenerating resources by continuously enhancing the living biology in the soil.

Using regenerative agricultural principles, Brown’s 5,000-acre ranch has grown several inches of new topsoil in only 20 years! The key is how we think, Brown says. In the industrial agricultural model, all thoughts are focused on killing things. But that mind-set was also killing diversity, soil, and profit, Brown realized. Now, he channels his creative thinking toward how he can get more life on the land - more plants, animals, and beneficial insects.

“The greatest roadblock to solving a problem,” Brown says, “is the human mind."

©2018 Gabe Brown (P)2018 Chelsea Green Publishing

Excellent!

Gabe Brown does a wonderful job of explaining the how and why in terms anyone can grasp. He does a wonderful job of not blaming, but instead, understanding how the unhealthy farming practices begun and continue. I am not a rancher, but I have a lot of interest in natural system rejuvenation. Humans, knowingly and unknowingly, did a lot of damage through necessity and then greed. I think humans can undo that damage. Plant trees, rejuvenate the soil, retain the water that falls from the sky. Less greed and more care and we can reverse so much of the damage....... This was a fine read/listen, I highly recommend it. Even if you just have an interest in the subject. But DEFANITELY if you are a farmer or rancher looking for solutions to the trap of industrialized farming.

Totally recommended!

Loved this book!! Plan to listen more than once. Makes you want to become a farmer.

Groundbreaking

Maybe the most important agriculture book in decades. Don’t let how simply it’s all explained fool you; there is deep science in this book and it is helping to pioneer a better way of agriculture. Thank you Mr. Brown.

If you are into soil, you'll love it.

I have a thing for soil so this was a great listen and l like hearing the story of people who are also on a journey of learning how to regenerate the soil. I learned a lot.

Exceptional book!!!

wonderful and encouraging book, I can't recommend it highly enough. It can be technical at times, but you will definitely learn something from this book, if not a lot of things.

awesome book, highly recommended

great book with lots of useful information to improve soil and make money from your land without fertilizers, pesticides and ploughing.

Hope for the future

An absolute amazing story. In these times people like Gabe give hope for the future and our children.
I really admire your work.
Janus

I hope this book changes your life.

Gabe does a great job narrating his own book. things are a little repetitive but that only helps to drill in the points. The best thing I could compare this book to is Rich Dad poor Dad. he changes the way the listener looks at farming. profitability over quantity. building your soil in order to build your wealth.

Listen, learn, repeat!

If you're transitioning into a better way of farming and grazing, this is your chance to have a boat load and then some of information.

Worth its weight in gold to farmers

I usually get bored of audiobooks but the content and Gabe's reading style are both great. I have listened to 10+ hours of Gabe's lectures online and I am still finding this book very helpful in planning my own small farm.

His personal story of really hard early times are also encouraging in that they helped him get to his very successful and innovative cover cropping strategies.