Soil and water are some of the most valuable resources for farmers. Farmers can apply their own skills to stay resilient through proven methods of soil stewardship.
Farmer and rancher Gabe Brown, a 2012 NRDC Growing Green Award winner, is the owner of Brown’s Ranch in Bismarck, North Dakota. For over 15 years, Gabe has merged back-to-basics agrarian practices with innovative science-based sustainable farming techniques on his 5,400 acre diversified family ranch.
In this video, Gabe explains how a few simple water-smart techniques have powerful effects on the health of his soil and crops.
Brown now has eliminated tillage and gone entirely no-till to avoid soil disturbance, growing cover crops in the off-season to put armor on soil and cultivate its health, diversifying his crop rotation, and integrating livestock (grass-fed beef, poultry, and sheep). He no longer uses synthetic fertilizer, fungicides or pesticides.
Read more about Gabe Brown and his no-till, no synthetic chemical farming here: North Dakota Rancher Turns Barren Range into a Fertile Farm.