Gabe Brown

US regenerative agriculture pioneer. Farms Browns Ranch near Bismarck, North Dakota, with son Paul. Internationally recognised for integrating no-till, diverse cover crops, and livestock into a holistic system that has eliminated synthetic inputs.

Profile

Field Value
Farm Browns Ranch
Location East of Bismarck, North Dakota, USA
Size 5,000 acres (owned and leased)
No-till since 1993
Synthetic fertilisers Eliminated
Fungicides/pesticides Eliminated
Herbicides Minimal; working toward elimination
GMOs/glyphosate None

[Source: dd-issue-01, 2026-04-11]

Farming System

  • Holistic Management — farming in nature’s image
  • Diverse cropping strategy: cover crops, companion crops
  • Livestock integration: cattle central to the system
  • Cattle graze on pastures with recovery period of over 360 days per pasture
  • No-till practised continuously since 1993

Cattle Enterprise

  • 350 late-spring calving cows (all black, Hereford and British White genetics)
  • Calves run with cows for 11 months before weaning
  • All beef grass-fed — zero cereal inclusion
  • 26 months old / 300kg deadweight at sale
  • 10 bulls per cows, maximum 42-day mating window
  • Results: average 8% empty cows; 70% heifers in calf after 30 days
  • Cost of cattle to slaughter: $1,086/head
  • Other enterprises: sheep, chicken, pigs, seed sales
  • Boxed beef enterprise direct-marketed

[Source: dd-issue-01, 2026-04-11]

Soil Health Results

  • Soil health dramatically improved through holistic management, cover crops, livestock
  • Mineral and water cycles greatly improved
  • Increased production and profit from natural systems
  • Demonstrates integration of beef cattle and precision arable farming

[Source: dd-issue-01, 2026-04-11]

Visited By

Asda Soil Masters Bursary group (2015) — 12 Asda arable no-till farmers + 7 Beeflink NSSSG farmers, led by Pearce Hughes (Asda). Reported as a formative experience for UK farmers.

Related Pages