Overview
- Berry, who died on Monday, August 31, 2026, at age 92, passed away at his Port Royal, Kentucky, farm and his daughter Mary Berry confirmed the death to The New York Times.
- He published more than 50 books across poetry, fiction and essays and is best known for the 1977 critique The Unsettling of America, a landmark work in the sustainable farming movement.
- Berry lived and farmed in Henry County for decades and wrote from that place about small-scale agriculture, community responsibility and a skeptical view of modern technology.
- He received national honors including the 2011 National Humanities Medal from President Barack Obama and writers such as Silas House offered public tributes after news of his death.
- A cause of death has not been released and reporters say more details and fuller tributes are expected as outlets and family provide further information; his work will continue to influence debates about land use and local food systems.