Our keynote speaker for the evening is Gabe Brown, a pioneer in the agricultural soil  restoration movement that is successfully and sustainably changing farming methods around the country.    Gabe has reimagined traditional farming practices, employing holistic and practical no-till cropping systems, which include variety of cash crops and multi-species cover crops.  Gabe's practical and innovative techniques mean that soil health can be restored and that regeneration is possible by utilizing natural resources without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and fungicides.

Gabe Brown

Author, Speaker, Rancher

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Dr. Hatfield is an agricultural expert with a focus on improving plant efficiency by restoring soil health and environmentally friendly practices.  Jerry has spent his career reevaluating traditional farming, employing scientific strategy as a means of improving crop quality and productivity by restoring soil health and environmentally friendly practices.  Jerry will discuss the critical function of soil health and how restoring biological activity within the soil can drive maximized crop productivity.  Dr. Hatfield will answer practical questions about how quickly regenerative practices can yield quantifiable results, specifically in profitability, water efficiency and overall farm production. 

Matt Gehrke is a local cattle farmer and an innovator in practical, regenerative soil practices that he has implemented on his own 34-acre farm in DeKalb, IL  Utilizing an intensive grazing rotation schedule on his pastures planted with a varied diet of forage crops, Matt's successful agricultural business model is thriving on farmland free of pesticides and chemical fertilizers.  During his presentation, Matt will discuss how his environmentally friendly methods restored his depleted soil to a healthy, bio-diverse ecosystem that compliments his high yield cattle business. 

Matt Gehrke

Gehrke Grass Fed Beef