Gabe Brown is one of the pioneers of the current soil health movement, and a proponent of regenerative agriculture. He’s the author of Dirt to Soil: One Family’s Journey into Regenerative Agriculture, co-founder of the Soil Health Academy, and co-owner of Understanding Ag, an agricultural consulting agency. Gabe’s property, called Brown’s Ranch, is a diversified, no till 5,000-acre farm and ranch near Bismarck, North Dakota.

We discussed Gabe’s transition away from conventional agriculture and some of the lessons he learned, including his 6 principles of soil health. We also talked about some of the economic policies surrounding agriculture, and the hurdles farmers and ranchers face. Gabe’s entire message is about farming in nature’s image by understanding the biological processes taking place beneath our feet, rather than fighting them. You can find his book wherever they are sold, and you can see him in the documentary Kiss the Ground on Netflix.