FT. PAYNE, Ala. — The Heinz Family Foundation today named Gabe Brown, a pioneer in regenerative agriculture and soil health, the recipient of the prestigious 26th Heinz Awards for the Environment.
As part of the accolade, Mr. Brown will receive an unrestricted cash award of $250,000.
Brown is a leader in regenerative agriculture and soil health who is catalyzing the movement to change farming practices. The results he achieves at his highly productive 5,000-acre farm, Brownâs Ranch, together with his first-hand farming experience andpassion for sharing his journey are inspiring farmers to shift from conventional to regenerative methods, transforming farmland from an environmental problem to a solution.
Mr. Brown began experimenting with new farming practices after a series of weather-related crop disasters at his North Dakota farm put his family in desperate financial straits. In 1993, he adopted no-till practices for moisture conservation, and went on to implement other soil-building practices, including diverse cover cropping, complex crop rotation and the incorporation of perennials. In 2001, he ceased the application of synthetic pesticides and fungicides and stopped using synthetic fertilizers in 2007.He is a leader in rotational grazing approaches that maintain plant diversity and soil health, while lowering disease risk forlivestock.
âAs rewarding as it is to see the positive impacts of regenerative practices on my own ranch, helping other farmers and ranchers make the transition from the chemical-intensive conventional agriculture model to the low-input regenerative agriculture model has been the most gratifying,â Brown said. âThrough my work with Understanding Ag and the nonprofit Soil Health Academy, I’m seeing how regenerative agriculture is restoring the health of our living soil; increasing biodiversity and carbon sequestration; improving water infiltration and quality; improving the nutrient density of our food; and importantly, improving the profitability of family farms. Every day, we see proof that soil health-improving regenerative agriculture represents an enormous opportunity for farmers, consumers and our planetâand why it holds the promise of âcommon ground for common good.ââ
Recognizing that adoption of more ecologically based farming practices requires farmer-to-farmer training, better farmer networking and a culture of ideas exchange, Mr. Brown is dedicated to sharing what he has learned. He reaches thousands of farmers annually through speaking and consulting engagements and soil health training sessions. Additionally, his book, Dirt to Soil: One Familyâs Journey into Regenerative Agriculture, has become a key resource for both novice and seasoned farmers.
âJohn Heinz was committed to protecting the environment and had a great gift for building bridges with those who initially may not have shared his point of view,â said Teresa Heinz, Chairman of the Heinz Family Foundation. âWe honor Gabe for developing a new approach to agriculture that recognizes the interconnection of land, food and climate change, and for his dedication as a thought leader demonstrating that environmentally conscious farming techniques not only heal the soil, they also produce healthier food, greater yields and a better financial return for those who depend on the land for their livelihood.â
–Understanding Ag, LLC
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