While it was purely coincidental, it seemed rather fitting that as we were celebrating the 40th anniversary of No-Till Farmer and the 50th anniversary of no-till on U.S. farms, No-Till Farmer editor Frank Lessiter was receiving a prestigious award.

Last month, Frank delivered the S.H. Phillips Distinguished Lecture in No-Till Agriculture at the University of Kentucky. Below is a photo of Frank with the special award.

As you know, Frank has been the only editor of No-Till Farmer for 40 years. Phillips was one of the first researchers to study no-till production, which originated on 7/10ths of an acre on the farm of Harry Young Jr. of Herndon, Ky. Phillips was instrumental for helping advance no-till practices in the Bluegrass State. Today, no-till has grown to the point it is practiced on nearly 300 million acres worldwide.

A key takeaway from all of this for no-tillers was the attitude of Frank when he returned from delivering his speech. He wasn't so much excited about the honor he had received — though it was quite humbling — but he was really enthusiastic about a few new no-till tricks that he discovered while visiting with attendees, noting that he would have a great story or two to share with readers.

 That just goes to show you that after 40 years of thousands of stories in No-Till Farmer, there's always more to be learned. And that's the attitude that the readers of No-Till Farmer carry, too.