Battle Creek no-till farmer and soil health advocate Dan Gillespie has always worked hard to leave any land he farmed in better condition than when he found it.

The Nebraska Community Foundation, in collaboration with regenerative agriculture nonprofit No-till on the Plains, recently announced a new NCF-affiliated fund to ensure Gillespie’s philosophy continues to inspire farmers in Nebraska and surrounding states for years to come.

The Dan Gillespie Soil Health Fund is dedicated to promoting soil health and regenerative agriculture, including but not limited to no-till farming, water conservation, tree conservation and planting cover crops.

A volunteer Fund Advisory Committee (FAC) composed of industry professionals and dedicated family members who share Gillespie’s vision aims to make impactful grants to support educational events, youth programs, farmers, ranchers and others involved in regenerative agriculture.

The seed for the fund took root in June when Gillespie approached his sister, Rebecca Evert, about his making a $5,000 donation to a young farmer following good soil health practices.

“Being a longtime supporter of Dan’s work in shifting the culture of farming toward no-till, I thought I could do that too,” Evert says. “My brother Tim joined in and agreed to add another $5,000. We feel this is not only a way to recognize Dan’s contributions to soil health, but to continue his and others’ efforts in supporting the growth of regenerative agriculture.”

No-till passion

Gillespie started using no-till practices in 1986 after an early-spring rainfall on frozen soil resulted in extensive erosion. He joined the USDA National Resources Conservation Service in 1987, where he helped develop a cost-share no-till incentive program. Gillespie served as an NRCS no-till specialist from 2004 until his retirement in December 2020, completing 33 years of service.

Notably, at 53%, Nebraska leads the nation in percentage of no-till cropland. “Dan was the obvious perfect choice for a no-till specialist,” says FAC member and retired Nebraska NRCS state conservationist Steve Chick, who created the no-till specialist position for Gillespie. “He was a respected, long-term-practicing zero-tiller who passionately and effectively communicated the soil quality benefits of managing crop residue through workshops, tours and direct technical assistance.”

As the importance of no-till farming increased, Gillespie participated in multistate meetings. His passion for soil health was evident. He was always willing to share his experience and spread the message about conservation by giving speeches and demonstrations at conferences and gatherings.

“I learned in 2005 that Dan was just as passionate as I was about no-till farming and enhancing soil health in Nebraska,” says Randy Pryor, UNL Emeritus Extension educator and FAC member. “I invited Dan as a guest speaker to several Southeast Nebraska Soil Health conferences, and he did not disappoint me or his farmer and ag industry audience. His enthusiasm for educating others about his own farm experiences was infectious.”

Along with his impeccable soil health credentials, Gillespie was often greeted as “Dan the Tree Man” in his hometown of Battle Creek. For more than 30 years, he took seeds (some harvested from oak trees on his farm), potting soil and grow boxes into fourth through sixth grade classrooms.

Students loved the hands-on planting exercise, as well as the accompanying conservation talk about trees, healthy soil and natural resources. Gillespie’s annual visits resulted in 3,000 trees being planted over the years.

Honoring a legacy

Shortly after retirement in 2020, Gillespie was diagnosed with ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a terminal neurodegenerative disease. By establishing the Dan Gillespie Soil Health Fund, Gillespie’s family, friends and soil health enthusiasts across the nation are able to carry on his work.

The fund honors Gillespie’s passions in life, raising funds and making grants to support soil health. The effort is dedicated to education and educational practices related to soil health and regenerative agriculture, including but not limited to no-till farming, water conservation, tree conservation and planting cover crops.

Grants from this fund may support educational events and programming for youth, farmers and ranchers, and others involved in agriculture. The geographic focus of the fund is Nebraska and surrounding states.

A volunteer Fund Advisory Committee works actively to increase charitable giving and award grants to causes and projects that are addressing emerging needs and future opportunities to educate, inform and support healthy soil practices.

This is an affiliated fund of Nebraska Community Foundation, headquartered in Lincoln, which serves communities, donors and organizations by providing financial management, strategic development, education and training to a statewide network of 1,500 volunteers serving more than 270 communities.

To learn more about the Dan Gillespie Soil Health Fund, visit nebcommfound.org.

Source: Nebraska Community Foundation, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.