Dirt to Soil: One Family's Journey into Regenerative Agriculture

A truly inspirational book that should be read by every farmer and by anyone who cares about the environment. This book should be placed in schools.

An excellent summary of regenerative agriculture. That it is more profitable than the current high input chemical agriculture and why it is a necessary long-term solution and how it is achieved. The chemical industry will do what it can to continue to declare that "If it was possible why is not everybody doing it". I understand that the big players have many educational institutes brainwashed with intense propaganda that their way is the only way. This book is a big crack in their comfort blanket. Time to change. The book is loaded with practical aspects enabling most farmers to switch their current dirt into real soil just like that. One example in the book is water holding capacity or water infiltration rate. 16 inches per hour means that most the rain falling in autumn and spring is absorbed and held in the soil also the following summer. Water without pumps. The rate when Brown started was less than one inch per hour, meaning dustbowl after a few weeks of no rain and bare soil without daily pumping. Finally, when most farms are brought back to regenerate the soil, the runoff from soils will be CLEAR nutrient-devoid water, not the current algae forming and fish-killing brown dirt that transports billions of tons from farms ending up blocking river mouths with silt, now worldwide. But it may well take 30 years before books like this one become compulsory reading in "farm schools". Another aspect is that plants do not take up crucial trace minerals when given NPK, giving plants, animals and us a substandard immune system forcing pesticides to plants and medicines to animals and us for survival, not to thrive. We need to move much sooner to be able to get back to nutrient dense food and profitable farming. Let Gabe Brown show the way by getting the book asap!

I'm an urban dweller who has never been much interested in the soil or farming. Yet, to my surprise, I read Gabe Brown's book quick time. It is a fascinating and hugely encouraging story of how farming the right way might save the day viz climate change. Gabe is one of the stars of the Netflix documentary 'Kiss the Ground' which I also recommend and only lasts an hour which might be of interest to those who are time challenged.

Anyone interested in the principles of growing starting with the soil it’s a definite book for your collection

Deservedly regarded as the definitive read on regenerative agriculture. Four key take-aways for me. 1 - Soil biology is more important than soil chemistry. We have a huge industry supplying chemicals to farms that essentially destroy soil biology - degrading the soil and so adding more chemicals to address the problems. What a massive, destructive, expensive, self-serving, unsustainable, wasteful travesty this is! Soil biology will do for free what industrial/chemical farming is failing to do. Gabe's production figures speak for themselves. 2 - Diversity is essential to healthy soil. Monoculture planting works against this. 3 - Degraded soil makes for degraded nutrient supply to consumers. 4 - Plants actively pump carbon into the soil. Good for the soil and good for the atmosphere. When climate scientists calculate the carbon drawdown from trees, they don't count this active drawdown to feed soil biology, which can be several times the amount of carbon used for making wood. I should point out this is a book where a farmer tells his story - how he got to succeed with regenerative agriculture. Therefore, if you're reading this from an environmental perspective, be aware that there are significant sections mostly about farming and farmers. I found this interesting but if you don't, the clarity with which Mr Brown explains the environmental processes of regenerative farming more than compensate. Also note that it is also almost entirely about US farming.

Excellent real life example of a successful conservation agriculture farmer though I'm not sure he'd call himself that. An inspiration to those who would like to farm with nature.

I bought this book after it was recommended by Charlie Burrell on one of the Knepp Rewilding YouTube videos. It didn't let him down. What Gabe Brown has achieved by working with nature instead of against it is pretty remarkable. The oil/chemical companies would have us believe that the world will end without us pouring their products into the soil as fast as they can be made, when in fact the polar opposite is true!! Where have we heard this before? Anyone remember the suppressed Exxon report into Global Warming? If the governments of the world would make lobbying illegal, then maybe renewable agriculture would have a much higher chance of near total acceptance. However, at the moment the various politicians in the food chain stand to lose way to much "backing" if they were to ban or severely limit use of so many external inputs into farming. One of the most eye opening things to come out of this book is that a carrot is not the same as another carrot. That their nutritional content can be so vastly different depending upon how and where it is grown, even if it is the same variety. It makes sense when you think about it, but I would bet that 99% of people don't realise this and are happily pumping their children full of tainted vegetables that are quite possibly doing more harm than good. One negative that I noticed in this book is right at the end, in the conclusion section. Gabe spends the entire book giving evidence and expertise as to why his methods work, what other people can do and to achieve similar outcomes. I am completely bought into his talent as a farmer, and as someone who understands what he is doing. Then he goes and says something totally ridiculous by saying that it's god that did it and then he thanks an imaginary being. Barking mad. He's just spent most of his adult life being a very inquisitive and experimental person, then explains that his invisible best friend is responsible. When will people simply accept that they are responsible for their own greatness. Not some ancient mythical nonsense.

This book seems to have become a must read for anyone wanting to practice no-till and improve their soil. Having practiced some occasional no-till drilling in the last 30 years in Autumn 2018 I started to practice the technique more widely across my farming. One part of the technique I know I need to expand my knowledge is the use of cover crops and there is a good chunk of text about cover crops. However the book is a much wider read about how the author came to farm the way he does today and how he has developed a diversified vertically integrated business he has today. There are lessons in that for all farmers. I particularly enjoyed the part about working with interns, or what we would call harvest students, and the things that they manage to do through lack of experience and perhaps some misunderstanding just like we get at home sometimes. Also some useful thoughts on succession planning. Overall an enjoyable read full of useful information, just got to work out how to apply it to my own situation.

This incredible story of failure of conventional farming to success in carbon based farming is exactly what this family has been looking for. My wife and I have been wanting to farm for a very long time. Things never did sit right with me while learning about conventional farming. As we thought of a way we could make a living on 5 acers we looked at many different ideas. My wife started looking into fungi and that started the ball rolling. Gabe Brown along with a few others mentioned in this book are on the cutting edge of tomorrows health of the planet. I am a FEIRCE defender of the American Farmer. What they have done to feed the world is nothing short of amazing. I love farmers. The work involved is never ending and unforgiving. As we start out in our farming future the work getting started is immense without question. However conventional farming has run its course. I would never had said that 1 year ago. Gabe has inspired my wife and I to fully adapt to this new way of farming and this book has given us the tools and knowledge on how to make things run like the good lord (I believe) on how it should be done. Imagine no more praying for rain or a dry spell. Imagine not having to pay a vet or by tons of chemicals to make your crops grow. Joel Saladin got us thinking and Gabe pretty much put an end to all conversations for us about how things should be going forward. Mother earth needs to be nurtured not high on Chems. The last frontier is under your feet. What we are learning about fungi, microbes, root systems will blow your mind. That dirt under your feet has trillions of unnamed animals that we are JUST NOW starting to study and trying to understand. I had know idea. Maintaining the life under our feet will soon be the norm, maybe not in my life time but my children's for sure. I think EVERY human being should read this book and dive head first into the shared resources Gabe provides. The networking that goes on between plants in a healthy soil is beyond anything I could have ever imagined. Now I find myself gorging on the references that Gabe provides. Gabe Brown and his family suffered immensely but his willingness, gumption and FAITH to want his dream to become a successful rancher has give the world a gift. A gift that he is willing to share with the world. We should be so thankful to this man and his amazing family. Gabe and his family are making a huge difference on this planet. Thinking outside of the conventional farming doesn't make Gabe popular with the chem companies or the big tractor guys but what is does do is make Gabe and his family healthy wealthy and wise. Even if you are not into farming but are curious about these new brave and cutting edge farmers this book should inspire you to help bring attention to the masses of what it can be and should be the future of farming. I now know that it is really possible for us to make a very good living off of a little piece of this planet. Gabe gave us to knowledge and the resources to turn this old conventional farm land into a lush paradise for all things nature brings to a healthy vibrant "soil". I am begging you to spread this books and its knowledge to every human being you know. Guys like Gabe are taking the arrows for the future. Change is hard especially if you get free money from the Gov to keep on doing what you are doing. But we can change that by simply supporting this man and the people who follow Gabe's way of farming and ranching. Our planet depends on us to help the staunches foes to Gabe's way and many others to correct the path they are on. We Can Do this. Gabe! Your book changed me. The inspiration you have provided us can not be measured on any scale. Sir I can not ever thank you enough. I can name a few books that have change my way of thinking. This book should be in EVERY human beings bookshelf. God Bless You Sir and your Amazing Family

Great book must read everybody both farmers and not; truly unique and detailed story of one of the best farmers around

its unusual for me to read a book to the end. but Dirt to Soil was very informative and inspiring. First time I've heard about the real damage conventional farming is doing to the soil. Soil is really our life blood... I was surprised at how much conventional farmers rely solely on chemicals to increase yield. And that not many of them think about nutrient density. I was inspired to know that many farmers are transitioning to regenerative agriculture. Everywhere I look these days people are spraying chemicals even on their grass and gardens let alone their vege patches. Its a no brainer really, spray toxic chemicals on our food would have to then impact negatively people's health. And we must question why so many are getting sicker and sicker. A great book about one farmers journey from conventional to regenerative farming. Love it!

Excelente libro, muy inspirador. Te lleva en una historia de cómo llevo su rancho hasta donde lo tiene hoy con las prácticas de manejo holístico. Es excelente también que haga referencia a otros autores/libros y personas que también se encuentran en el medio realizando las mismas prácticas. Recomiendo este libro, sin duda.

Love this book! Very interesting saw the three documentary’s on this guy! It’s mind blowing!