The influence of this year’s No-Till Innovator Award winners stretches a long way, from Ohio to Kansas, up to Pennsylvania and west to Idaho — and even across the oceans. The winners’ agricultural legacy is already well established: regions full of growers who have turned to no-tilling for improved profits, better soils and sustainable farming operations.

Syngenta Crop Protection and No-Till Farmer honored three outstanding individuals and one organization during an awards ceremony on Jan. 11 at the 16th annual National No-Tillage Conference in Cincinnati.

A committee of leaders representing different aspects of the no-till industry selected the 12th annual No-Till Innovator award winners in each of the following categories: Business & Service, Crop Production, Organization and Research & Education.

The number of conservation-tillage growers continues to increase steadily, due in part to the efforts of this year’s award recipients. Each has made important contributions to the no-till movement and was selected based on their dedication to the advancement of no-till farming, regardless of the type of crop grown or the equipment or products used.

The 2007 No-Till Innovators are:

Crop Production: 
Bill Richards

Bill Richards of Circleville, Ohio, got in on the ground floor of no-tilling, helped prove that it could be a viable way to farm, then helped establish no-tilling throughout the region. He started no-tilling more than 45 years ago and stayed at it for the long haul while no-tilling 2,600 acres of soybeans with his three sons.

Now retired, he continues to promote conservation-tillage farming throughout…