During the 19th National No-Tillage Conference, Syngenta and No-Till Farmer magazine honored the latest class of No-Till Innovators.

No-till farming is widely considered to be an environmentally sound and economical method of crop management. The number of conservation-tillage growers continues to increase, due in part to the endeavors of this year’s award winners.

Each has made important contributions to the conservation movement and was chosen based on dedication to the advancement of no-till farming, regardless of the type of crop grown and equipment, seed treatment or crop protection products used.

The four honorees are:

• Roy Applequist, president and owner of Great Plains Mfg., for business and service
• Ray McCormick, a no-tiller from Vincennes, Ind., for crop production
• The Delta Conservation Demonstration Center (DCDC) in Metcalfe, Miss., for organization
• Harold Reetz, a long-time no-tiller and president of the Foundation for Agronomic Research, for research and education.

Business & Service

Roy Applequist, Great Plains Mfg.

Applequist is the president and owner of Great Plains Mfg., a Salina, Kan.-based company that is a major supplier of no-till farming equipment to the U.S. and 28 other countries.

Through Great Plains Mfg., Applequist oversees thousands of acres of corns and soybeans, and manufactures drills, sprayers and planting equipment for numerous crops.

Since the early 1980s, Great Plains Mfg. has been committed to helping growers adopt no-till techniques. Applequist’s company was the first to develop no-till grain drills for soybean crops.

Additionally, Great Plains Mfg. hosts several educational meetings throughout the year, during which Applequist and…