Tillage radishes aren't the only cover crop you’ll find growing on Steve Groff’s farm this year. The no-tiller of Cedar Meadow Farm in Lancaster County, Pa., is on a quest to find the next great cover crop for no-tillers.

Cut it, chop it, crimp it, split it, shatter it, size it, blow it, fling it or even explode it — just don’t wing it when it comes to harvest residue management.

Wet fall, wet spring, wet fall, wet spring. It seems no-tillers need to get used to making things work in a more aquatic-type system, our recent survey of No-Till Farmer readers found. In fact, how our readers’ no-till planter setups worked in wet conditions was a common thread in the replies we received.

The four no-till innovators honored this year have accomplished much, some during the past 20 to 30 years, while others much more recently.