Berry, a descendant of Kentucky farmers, wrote dozens of books on agriculture, community and environmental stewardship.
He was arrested in 2011 during a protest against mountaintop removal mining at then-Gov. Steve Beshear’s office. In 1979, he was arrested during a demonstration against a proposed nuclear power plant in Indiana.
James Baker Hall/Library of America
Berry received the National Humanities Medal from President Barack Obama in 2010.
Kentucky writer Silas House remembered Berry on social media as “generous,” “brilliant” and “a revolutionary.”
This story was produced with original reporting by the New York Times.
