No-Till Living Legend Ray McCormick will do just about anything for conservation. Whether it’s turning farmland into wetlands or buying an electric Ford Lightning F-150 pickup truck, McCormick makes decisions based on what’s best for the environment

“For me, it's about saving the planet,” the Vincennes, Ind., no-tiller says. “You can't put a price on that. That's why I paid all the money I did for this pickup. It was the only one out there. The guy's mouth fell open when I said, ‘OK, I'll take it.' He's like, ‘That's more money than I spent on my home.’”

McCormick is No-Till Farmer’s 2024 Conservation Ag Operator Fellow (see sidebar p. 36), chosen for the honor due to his extensive experience with no-till and innovative approach to conservation practices. He no-tills 2,700 acres in the Vincennes area and manages about 3,000 acres of woods and wetlands. Named a No-Till Living Legend in 2011, McCormick has since continued to build on his diverse array of conservation practices and environmental advocacy.

“If you look at my farm, the most important thing, and the thing that is of the most wealth by far, is the value of the land,” McCormick says. “The land will take care of you if you take care of it. I do everything I can at all costs to take care of that resource.”    

Restoring Wetlands

The land that McCormick doesn’t farm is just as important to him as the land that he does. Early on in his…