Pulse Brain · Growing Health Evidence Index
Tier 4 — Narrative / commentaryGrey literature

Brown G. 2018. Dirt to soil: one family’s journey into regenerative agriculture. Chelsea Green: White River Junction.

2018

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Summary

This book by Gabe Brown chronicles the transition of his family farm in North Dakota from conventional to regenerative agriculture over approximately two decades. Drawing on first-hand farm records and observations, Brown describes the principles underlying regenerative practice — minimising soil disturbance, maintaining living roots, maximising biodiversity, and integrating animals — and the agronomic and economic outcomes he attributes to these changes. The work is a practitioner account rather than a controlled scientific study, and findings should be interpreted accordingly.

UK applicability

The specific agronomic context is North American dryland farming, which differs considerably from UK conditions in terms of climate, scale, and policy environment; however, the underpinning principles around soil health, cover cropping, and livestock integration are widely cited in UK regenerative agriculture discourse and may offer transferable conceptual insights.

Key measures

Soil organic matter; input costs; farm profitability; soil biological activity; cover crop diversity; livestock integration

Outcomes reported

The book documents the practical and philosophical journey of a North Dakota farmer adopting regenerative practices including cover cropping, reduced tillage, diverse crop rotations, and integrated livestock, reporting improvements in soil health, reduced input costs, and farm profitability over time.

Theme
Farming systems, soils & land use
Subject
Regenerative & agroecological farming systems
Study type
Narrative Review
Study design
Narrative review
Source type
Grey literature
Status
Published
Geography
United States
System type
Mixed livestock and arable
Catalogue ID
XL0949

Topic tags

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