A true believer in no-till, Sam Swinford passed away on September 30. Having farmed all his life and no-tilled for 29 years at Flat Rock, Ind., Swinford believed in the many environmental and economic benefits of this reduced tillage practice.

Farming with son, Aaron, the father and son team quickly moved in the early 1990s into a continuous no-till program after seeing first-hand on their own farm the many benefits of adopting this reduced tillage system.

“I remember meeting Sam at the very first National No-Tillage Conference in Indianapolis in 1993,” recalls Frank Lessiter, the long-time editor of No-Till Farmer. “After that conference, Sam attended almost every one of these events and made14 of the first 15 events and 21of all 26 of these annual mid-winter events.

“A true believer in continuing their no-till education at these conferences, Sam and son Aaron were always ready to learn new no-tilling ideas, network with fellow attendees and help others see the many benefits of no-tilling.”

Back in 2007, the Swinford operation was featured in the No-Till Farmer on-going “What I’ve Learned From No-Tilling” series that features outstanding operations around the country. In that article, Sam pointed how the time savings enjoyed with no-till on their 2,000 acres allowed them to expand their farming operation and grow specialty crops for several niche markets.

Read the No-Till Farmer article on the Swinford operation here.