Breitkreutz Follows Brandt as President of the Soil Health Academy
David Brandt has served as president of the non-profit Soil Health Academy since its inception in 2017. (SHA photo by Joe Dickie)
Dawn Breitkreutz has become SHA’s second president, replacing co-founder and soil health pioneer David Brandt.
Ft. Payne, AL (September 1, 2021) – The co-founder of the Soil Health Academy (SHA), David Brandt, has stepped down from his position as president, the non-profit organization announced. Brandt, an Ohio farmer, cover crop innovator and soil health pioneer, has served as president of the regenerative farming education organization since its inception in 2017.
Dawn Breitkreutz, who currently serves on the SHA board of directors as treasurer, has been selected to replace Brandt. The winner of numerous environmental stewardship awards, Breitkreutz and her husband, Grant, own and operate Stoney Creek Farm in Redwood Falls, MN. Their farm has served as the host location for multiple soil health-focused regenerative agriculture schools and workshops for several years.
“In just a few short years, David’s leadership and vision has helped SHA reach thousands of farmers and ranchers across the globe, both in person, via webinars and through the organization’s on-line ‘Regen Ag 101’ training course,” said SHA co-founder Allen Williams, Ph.D.
“Now that David will be focusing his time and attention on his farm and family, I can’t think of a more qualified, talented and hard-working person to follow his legacy than Dawn,” Williams said. “It may sound cliché, but she really does walk the regenerative agriculture talk and always leads by example.”
“I realize I have some very big shoes to fill,” Breitkreutz said, “but the educational work SHA does is especially critical today — for our struggling farm families and for our climate and environment. Along with my fellow SHA board members, I hope to carry on and expand David’s important legacy of land and organizational stewardship into the future.”
Brandt, a widely recognized expert in cover crops and soil health, has hosted hundreds of agricultural representatives from across the globe over the past several years on his farm. He will continue to support SHA as a speaker and as an on-farm school host.
SHA also announced that current SHA secretary, Kim Barmann, is the organization’s new treasurer.