The Gallatin Valley is a bustling place. Snug in the shadow of towering Rocky Mountain peaks, the valley is home to Montana State University, the hip and thriving town of Bozeman and a diverse, often progressive community of farmers — ranging from container hydroponic growers of salad greens to large-scale commercial producers — that make it feel more like a California valley than one in Montana.

While taking a 15-year hiatus from farming, Elwood, Ind., no-tiller Rick Williams had every intention of eventually returning to the family farm he grew up on, contingent on completing a promise he made to his father, Jerry, of getting an education first.