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  • Dirt to Soil

  • One Family’s Journey into Regenerative Agriculture
  • Written by: Gabe Brown
  • Narrated by: Gabe Brown
  • Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (184 ratings)

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Dirt to Soil

Written by: Gabe Brown
Narrated by: Gabe Brown
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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

What listeners say about Dirt to Soil

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  • Sam
  • 2020-02-19

Amazing... ecology for the win 🙏🏻✨❤🌿

#readlearnshareapply... And please, from this mum to all the others out there... let's get this to all our farmers and legislators so we can change how we do things on a mass scale and #savetheeverythings 🙏🏻🌱❤. #growhabitatnotlawn #makemulchnotwar #growfoodnotlawns #regenarativeagriculture #letfoodbethymedicine #eachoneteachone #ifwewanttogofarwegotogether

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The world needs more Gabe.

Mr Brown has learned through observation and trial and error how to rebuild soil and farm sustainably. The book is incredibly important and gives humanity a shot at redemption from our agricultural sins. Thank you Gabe for sharing this information.

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excellent!

loved it and had no trouble going through it. almost wished it was longer and had more chapters. thanks Gabe, this will change my farm

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Excellent book

Really well laid out information. It was an interesting listen even for someone who is not involved in agriculture and farming

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Informative, motivating and inspiring

It’s been motivating to read this book to know there’s a different way to farm.

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Highly recommended

Extremely interesting read. Engaging author, very passionate on the topic. Learned many new things to try in my own backyard garden. Highly recommended.

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This is the book that every farmer needs to read

Gabe, your passion for regenerative farming shines through with this book. Every farmer should read this and go back to farming the way it should be and needs to be done how our why we ever got away from regenerative farming is beyond me. It's people like you that give how back to the world for a brighter, more healthy future. Thanks Gabe, keep up the good work.

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tilling is killing

Excellently done. Keeps me riveted from the moment I turn it on.. The information in this audio is hands down the most obviously factual farming technique/information that I have ever listened to. Good job Gabe.

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Changing the planet 1 farmer at a time

Every Farmer or Rancher needs to hear Gabe Brown speak. This man has shared his wealth of experience and knowledge for the cost of dollars... basically free. I am so thankful for this book, as well Gabe has great presentations on YouTube. I really hope to go visit their ranch one day, and he's inspired me, in how I run my own. Thank you Gabe Brown and the whole family.

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Dirt to Soil.

Grrreeeeeaaaaat book & story.
Gabe was introduced to me via YouTube 4 years ago. Treating the farm as an ecosystem. 1 & 2. Introducing an overview of an entire ecosystem system and developing insights into the subsystems and the minutae within them. Even down to some of the microbiology details. Even up to the impact on our local community and the globe. Do local - think global kind of stuff. I appreciate others who teach well. But Gabe Brown, consistently says things in a way that I, "can catch".
I like his voice, too. That's important.

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