Back in 2017, we recognized 43 North American farmers and educators as No-Till Legends. In addition, 11 honorees from seven countries outside of North America were recognized as International No-Till Legends. Since that time, we’ve been asked numerous times why we haven’t added to the list of international farmers and educators who are well deserving of this recognition.

As a result, we introduced a program in 2023 to honor the accomplishments of international no-tillers and educators. The goal is to add several internationally known farmers and educators in the no-till and conservation agriculture (CA) movements to this honor roll each year.

In 2023, several international conservation ag colleagues assembled a comprehensive list of worldwide no-till pioneers and champions exclusively for No-Till Farmer. That list included 52 individuals who have made significant contribution to developing, promoting and spreading the word about the many benefits of no-tillage and CA internationally.

This year’s three honorees were selected by a panel of judges from that list. To view this list, go to No-TillFarmer.com/international.

If you would like to nominate other well-deserving international farmers or educators for future No-Till Legend awards, please write a 1-2-page letter that outlines their accomplishments and email to lessitef@lessitermedia.com before May 30, 2025.

2024 International No-Till Pioneers

Sarah Singla, Canet de Salars, France

A no-tiller in southern France, Singla took over management of the family farm in 2010 on soils that have not been tilled in over 45 years.

Her father was among the first French farmers to switch to no-till to reduce production costs and erosion. He bought a no-till drill at anπ European farm show and sold his moldboard plow at the same time so there was no turning back.

After the death of Singla’s father in 1990, her grandfather kept no-tilling even though many French growers and European ag researchers were convinced he would eventually have to plow the fields. Yet he didn’t see any reason to plow since he was able to operate with very low production costs. Plus, he was convinced the family would have to sell the farm if they returned to extensive tillage.

Diversification with a dozen crops and cover crops allows her to grow crops with long tap roots, such as alfalfa, phacelia and sunflowers that break up compacted soil layers and use water more effectively. This is in comparison to shallower rooted crops sch as parsley and wheat that she includes in her crop rotations. As a result, she needs less fertilizer with diversified rotations that cover the soil most of the year.

Passionate and enthusiastic about her beliefs, she traveled the world as a Nuffield Scholar to advance her knowledge about no-till, soil fertility and the holistic approach to modern-day agriculture.

“Soil is a living organism and when you no-till, the soil is working for you,” Singla said in a Farm & Ranch Guide article. “We have just 1-2% of farmers doing no-till worldwide, as most farmers are still doing tillage.

“Soil is meant to be covered. And we need to rebuild the soil to regenerate the soil. A great benefit of no-till is its biodiversity, as it preserves an ecosystem that enriches the soil.

“A soil without biology is not a soil, but simply geology.”

Richard Findlay, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

A retired seedsman and among organizers of the No-Till Club of South Africa, Richard Findlay has been instrumental in promoting, motivating and guiding the expansion of no-till throughout South Africa.

“Because I’m convinced conservation tillage is of national importance in South Africa, I try to spread the news far and wide, which was among the reasons for me to help organize the annual no-till conference.”

In the country’s dry areas, Findlay says moisture availability is among the major benefits of no-tilling. He’s been showing growers the many benefits of cover crops in conserving whatever moisture their farms receive.

Findlay credits no-till with developing healthier soils and bringing yield stability due to its extra organic matter, along with feeding soil microbes, bacteria, fungi and insects. He also urges growers to no-till since it sequesters carbon, which is needed in the fight against global warming.

Tony Reynolds, South Lincolnshire, Great Britain Source: Farmers Weekly

Not plowing for over 20 years, Tony Reynolds and his grandson. Patrick, farm around 3,000 acres at South Lincolnshire in England. Harvesting high yields from what he refers to as “indifferent land,” he says there have been major benefits from over 2 decades of no-tilling, which is known as direct drilling in the United Kingdom.

His reasons for moving to no-till were to boost soil organic carbon, improve soil fertility and reduce wind and water erosion. Two decades of no-till has led to a reduction in phosphorus and potassium needs by up to 60%.

According to a Farmers Weekly article, no-till, a more diversified crop rotation, cover crops and the introduction of spring cropping has led to dramatic improvements in weed control. The more diversified crop rotations typically include 2 years of wheat, 1year of oilseed rape and the addition of spring-seeded crops. His traditional cover crop mix has included black oats, vetch, phacelia and crimson clover seeded the fall before spring cropping.

Along with spring cropping, Reynolds says the biggest weapon against weeds is not disturbing the soil, which leads to less germination of weed seeds.

Over the years, Reynolds has served as a no-till mentor to British and European growers and has been a speaker at numerous conferences on making no-till successful under varying weather conditions. He has also served as chairman of the main conservation agriculture in Great Britain.

Reynolds has produced numerous videos to demonstrate changes made in his own farming operation and has spent considerable time in Europe comparing what other growers have learned about conservation agriculture. He has also presented ideas on the value of conservation agriculture to the European Commission as a recognizable form of sustainable agriculture.

The farm also hosts groups of growers and educators from around the world who want to learn more about no-till and conservation agriculture.

Recognizing the value of aerobic microbes in the soil, he maintains plowing results in anaerobic microbes being exposed to oxygen while the anerobic microbes are buried, resulting in as much as 60% of the valuable microbes being lost. Happens, Reynolds believes it takes 4 years to recover replace these “underground livestock” populations after plowing.

Thanks to no-till, he’s found the underground microbes, fungi and invertebrates are essential in converting residue into increased organic matter that is vital in building soil structure.

Nominations Open for 2025 Foreign No-Till Legends

If you would like to nominate other well-deserving international farmers or educators for future No-Till Legend awards, please write a 1-2-page letter that outlines their accomplishments and email it to lessitef@lessitermedia.com before May 30, 2025.

Related Content:

• Pioneers & Champions of No-Till & Conservation Ag from Across the World
• European Farmers Let Nature Do Their Tillage

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