Three No-Till Legends and a longtime Ohio State University soil scientist received an award from the Soil & Water Conservation Society (SWCS) for a paper pointing out the role of tillage in a deadly 90-vehicle pileup in Illinois last year.

The SWCS Board of Directors named "Plowing: Dust storms, Conservation Agriculture, and need for a Soil Health Act” by No-Till Legends Don Reicosky, Randall Reeder and Dave Brandt, along with longtime Ohio State University soil scientist Rattan Lal, as the 2024 Journal of Soil and Water Conservation Editor’s Choice Award honorable mention. The paper outlines why more education about no-till is needed to avoid future catastrophes.

"Could the catastrophic dust storm along I-55 in Illinois in May have been prevented? YES!" the paper reads. "If the farmland had been in continuous no-till with cover crops, there would have been no dust. No dust. No deaths. No injuries."

Read the full article here.

The award will be presented at the 79th SWCS International Annual Conference in Myrtle Beach, S.C., in July.   

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