The horse and buggy were pushed against a tree with our pickup truck. A farm worker was holding the horse by its bridle, talking to it, trying to calm it. A small, ankle-biter-sized dog was jumping around happily. To all appearances, our truck had run the horse off the road, wrecked the buggy and injured the young mother. It was not a pretty sight.

In the 60 years since the first commercial no-tillage planting in Christian County, the agricultural practice continues to improve soils and water quality on millions of acres across Kentucky, the U.S. and the world. The No-Till History series is made possible by Calmer Corn Heads.

Hundreds of no-till presenters, attendees gather to commemorate triple crown anniversary.

In the late 1950s, Harry Young had been thinking about reducing tillage on his family’s farm at Herndon, Ky. Conventional tillage had been practiced on the family farm since the 1830s.