Who We Are

Gabe and Shelly Brown

Purebred cow/calf operation in central North Dakota

Our ranch is a purebred cow/calf operation located in central North Dakota. We place a strong emphasis on conservation practices and persistent commitment to both agriculture and quality wildlife habitat. That’s why we’re such strong advocates for no-till farming, which we’ve practiced since 1994.

Over the years, we’ve also increased our total number of pastures from the original three to 38, which allows maximum pasture recovery time. Many of our pastures are grazed less than 14 days in a year, some are grazed once a year, some twice – grazing time is completely dependent upon the health of the forage that we carefully monitor.

We recently purchased 120 acres of Conservation Reserve Program land where we added a well, installed a shallow pipeline, water tanks and built perimeter and cross fences to make six tame-grass pastures. In our experience, proper grazing management will stimulate forage production and have a positive impact on soil health and wildlife.

These resource management practices have dramatically increased wildlife diversity and population numbers. Today, ringneck pheasant, sharptail grouse, Hungarian partridge, Canada geese, ducks, songbirds, several species of raptors and whitetail deer make their home at Gelbvieh Ranch.

The Brown family was recognized in conjunction with the Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP) in 2006.

The Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP), sponsored by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), Dow AgroSciences and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), annually recognizes the outstanding stewardship practices and conservation achievements of U.S. cattle producers across the nation. The families selected as regional ESAP winners have successfully conducted stewardship practices that can serve as exemplary models for all cattle producers. They are actively working to protect and improve the environment and have proven that environmental stewardship and good business can go hand-in-hand.

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