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.

The 2024 fellowship program, made possible by The Nature Conservancy, aims to broaden farmers’ understanding about how to realize economic and sustainability success through no-till and conservation ag by returning to the same farm all year long. No-Till Farmer's editors and industry advisors selected McCormick due to his extensive experience with no-till and innovative approach to implementing a diverse spectrum of conservation practices. McCormick is a 2010 No-Till Innovator Award recipient, was honored as a No-Till Living Legend in 2011 and is a frequent National No-Tillage Conference speaker. He has been no-tilling his 3,200-acre operation for more than 30 years.

The Conservation Ag Operator Fellowship program includes an in-depth, year-long content series shared via No-Till Farmer channels that details McCormick's decisions and actions throughout the year. The multi-media series examines his approach to 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. Farmers may also ask McCormick specific questions at any time through the "Ask the Operator" online forum. The capstone of the project includes a final report on performance and results, and a keynote presentation at the 33rd Annual National No-Tillage Conference in Louisville from Jan. 7-10, 2025. 

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