Three individuals and one organization are being recognized as the 21st Class of No-Till Innovators for leading the adoption and advancement of no-till at the 25th annual National No-Tillage Conference.

Sponsored by Syngenta and No-Till Farmer, the program honors growers, researchers, businesses and organizations for their ongoing commitment to, and contributions toward, advancing no-till management.

The four No-Till Innovators have made important contributions to this growth and were chosen based on dedication to the advancement of no-till farming, regardless of the type of crop grown and equipment, seed, seed treatment or crop protection products used.

The 2016 honorees are:

• Champlain Valley Farmers Coalition, Organization
• Steve Berger, Wellman, Iowa, no-tiller, Crop Production
• Dave Franzen, Extension soil specialist, North Dakota State University, Research & Education
• Betsy Bower, agronomist, Ceres Solutions, Business & Service

Champlain Valley Farmer Coalition — Organization

Champlain Valley Farmer Coalition

Name: Champlain Valley Farmer Coalition

Location: Middlebury, Vt.

Purpose: Non-profit farmer organization started in 2013 to have a unified voice to proactively address the concerns about water quality in Lake Champlain.

Awards/Honors: 2016 No-Till Innovator Award

This non-profit farmer organization was started in 2013 with the goal of having a unified voice to proactively address concerns about water quality in Lake Champlain.

Since then, the organization has evolved and consists of a group of farmers who’ve taken on the leadership role to show that preserving the quality of their environment and maintaining a strong farm economy can go hand in hand.

The coalition wants to show farming can be…