By Randy Pryor
Emeritus Extension Educator & Chair, Dan Gillespie Soil Health Fund
Healthy soil is the foundation of everything—supporting healthy plants, healthy food and water, and ultimately, healthy people. And it all begins with the “grassroots” that grow in and thrive from it.
That philosophy guided Dan Gillespie throughout his life. As a longtime Battle Creek farmer and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) statewide no-till specialist for more than 30 years, Dan didn’t just talk about sustainability—he lived it. He shared his passion with farmers and ranchers at field days and conferences while practicing what he preached on his own farm.
Dan’s farm was his laboratory, where he experimented with continuous no-till farming and cover crops like winter rye. His work yielded impressive results: soils rich in organic matter, crops resilient to drought, better water infiltration, and improved irrigation efficiency.
Sadly, after retiring in 2020, Dan was diagnosed with ALS, a disease that abruptly ended his dreams of enjoying retirement with family while continuing his work in soil health. But even in the face of this diagnosis, Dan chose to “pay it forward,” sowing the seeds for future generations to grow sustainable agriculture.
Planting Seeds for a Legacy
In June 2021, Dan and his family launched the Dan Gillespie Soil Health Fund (DG SHF) with an initial $20,000 donation. Today, this Nebraska Community Foundation-affiliated nonprofit endowment has grown to over $100,000, providing more than $3,000 in annual grants to support youth, young farmers, and ranchers in their sustainable agriculture journeys. Recent donations of $7,500 and $5,000 respectively by WK Kellogg Co’s Feeding HappinessTM and The Cargill Blair Cares Council will further the work of the Dan Gillespie Soil Health Fund (DGSHF) and its efforts to promote soil health and regenerative agriculture.
So far, over $10,000 in grants has been awarded. Applications are open twice a year—March 1 and October 1—at go.unl.edu/dgfund. Recipients include:
• No-Till on the Plains, UNL Extension, and the Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District for regenerative agriculture programming.
• Youth-focused initiatives, like Omaha’s City Sprouts, which helps urban students explore agricultural careers, and Battle Creek FFA.
• Student research projects, such as a Central City High School study on soil management techniques and their effects on soil aggregation and microbiomes.