Co-sponsored by No-Till Farmer and Wall Street Access, the event’s goal was to help Wall Street fund managers better understand the food production cycle and this year’s challenging fertilizer markets.

A new No-Till network, known as the Conservation Agriculture Systems Alliance (CASA), has been formed to help local and regional organizations drive adoption of no-till systems and represent North American interests in international conservation agriculture talks.

Though he's passionate about the future of agricultural production, Luther Welch also wants producers to remember how farming has evolved over the years. That’s why he’s worked to establish the Northern Neck Farm Museum in Heathsville, Va.

Researchers from 13 USDA Agricultural Research Service locations, state universities and the U.S. Department of Energy are finishing the second season of field studies in a 5-year project to determine where, when and how much stover can be harvested for ethanol use without harming the soil.

Several successful organic vegetable growers in southeastern states are combining the benefits of cover crops, reduced tillage and smart marketing. Here’s a brief look at two family operations that have been guided by the work of pioneering researchers such as Virginia Tech’s Ron Morse (see accompanying story). Both families are active participants in the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Work Group (SSAWG), a 12-state, non-profit organization.

Never mind the critics, there is plenty of evidence that no-tillers raising genetically modified (GM) crops are ahead of the learning curve, while the rest of the country and world is catching on.