Let’s go from Vincennes, Ind., to Williamsport, Ind., where fellow No-Till Innovator Rick Clark has reached what some consider the holy grail — his 7,000 acres are 100% no-till, 100% organic and 100% free of synthetic nutrients, herbicides, pesticides and fungicides. Clark gives us a look at what his soil looks like on a late fall day.

“We put wheat in this field. This field is also going to be part of an ongoing experiment where we’re going to come back before the ground freezes and we’re going to plant yellow field peas that are cold-tolerant. Then next spring, we will harvest the wheat, and the peas together and then separate them. I think this is the future of what we’re going to be doing more and more on this farm. Look how easy the shovel goes in (the soil). The first thing off the bat we see is an earthworm. It’s just amazing what kind of soil health we’re seeing. This is almost November now and we still have this kind of earthworm activity. Look at how this soil breaks apart in your hand. It’s like cottage cheese. This is exactly what we want. There’s another worm, there’s 5 more worms. This is what it’s all about. Right here.” 

Clark says he saves about $2 million on inputs per year. You can ask him all about it during a classroom session at the 2025 National No-Tillage Conference in Louisville. The program is out. Head to NoTillConference.com to check it out and reserve your spot, and we’ll have a special preview from one of the speakers later in the show.

Watch the full version of this episode of Conservation Ag Update.