No-Till Farmer has named Loran Steinlage of West Union, Iowa, as its 2023 Conservation Ag Operator Fellow. Launched in 2022 to mark the start of No-Till Farmer's second 50 years, the annual Conservation Ag Operator Fellowship program follows a selected no-till farmer throughout the year and shares the real-time decision-making and solutions needed to make no-till and conservation ag practices work in real-world conditions. 

For the 2023 fellowship program, made possible by A&I Products, No-Till Farmer's editors and industry advisors selected Steinlage as this year’s fellow due to his ongoing commitment to innovating on his own farm and going above and beyond to share his no-till knowledge with others. Steinlage is a 2020 No-Till Innovator Award recipient and frequent National No-Tillage Conference speaker. 

"It's humbling to be chosen as the Conservation Ag Operator Fellow," Steinlage said. "I see this as part of the mindset we've acquired over the years — to throw ourselves out there and help people. This is a way to give back and an opportunity to share more about the why behind the stories." 

The Conservation Ag Operator Fellowship program includes an in-depth, year-long content series in No-Till Farmer magazine that details Steinlage's decisions and actions throughout the year. The series examines a variety of subjects, including cropping decisions, attachment/equipment purchases, test plots, seeding/planting conditions and on-the-go decisions in response to weather and other variables.