A prominent ag retailer who was also a proponent of no-till practices in eastern states has died. Joseph Dewalt “De” Willard Jr., who founded Willard Chemical Co. in 1970 – later renamed Willard Agri-Service) – passed away on Nov. 13.

Willard was an early advocate and promoter of no-till in Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania and he used the practice on his own farm ground, said Frank Lessiter, editor of No-Till Farmer. Willard was an attendee at the first-ever National No-Tillage Conference held in 1993 in Hawaii, and he also attended the National Strip-Till Conference when it was first hosted in Bloomington-Normal, Ill.

The Willard Family was named as the 2023 inductee to the Governor’s Agriculture Hall of Fame in Maryland. Operated by Scot Poffenberger, Billy Willard Jr. and Joe Sayer, the family no-tilled 900 acres of corn, 600 acres of soybeans, 400 acres of sorghum and 600 acres of wheat.

“(The Willard family has) been long-term no-tillers, and their ag retailer service has always promoted no-till among growers in a big, big way," says Frank Lessiter, editor of No-Till Farmer.

Willard Agri-Service grew to become a nationally recognized agricultural retailer serving Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Virginia, and West Virginia from five locations. De's thirst for knowledge motivated him to become active in numerous ag retailer organizations across the nation, where he built a network of cherished friends.

In August 1981, De launched a second business endeavor in the automotive industry which grew to five dealerships located in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Similar to the network of friends he developed in agriculture, he grew another network of treasured colleagues in the auto world. 

As professional success grew, De fostered important relationships within the ag industry by serving on the Boards of The Fertilizer Institute, Brandt Consolidated, Ouachita Fertilizer, Ag Chem Equipment, the National Fertilizer Solutions Association, and the Maryland and Virgina Milk Producers Cooperative.

De graduated from Poolesville High School in 1948. He attended the University of Maryland School of Agriculture focusing on agronomy, botany, and crop production. Simultaneously, he launched his custom farming career; purchasing a pull type John Deere 12A combine in July 1948. This event was the beginning of his 76-year business career. 

De was born on September 30, 1931 in Poolesville, MD 1n the home his grandparents built in 1917. He was the son of Dewalt Joseph Willard Sr. and Virginia Chiswell Ball.

He is survived by his former wife and mother of his children Frances Amato Willard; brother William G. Willard (Jane) of Little River, NC; and sister Sarah Ann King (David) of Derwood, MD. He is also survived by his four children Bobby Willard (Lynda) of Key West, FL; Billy Willard, Sr. (Ann Marie) of Poolesville, MD; Jimmy Willard of Jefferson, MD; and Patti Weiss (Mike) of Charlotte, NC., sixteen grandchildren and seventeen great grandchildren.