W. DES MOINES, IA -- Steve Groff of Holtwood, Pennsylvania, was recently honored as a "No-Till Innovator" for developing and implementing no-till crop production methods on his farm.

Groff received the No-Till Innovator award January 22, at the National No-Tillage Conference, in St. Louis, Missouri. The No-Till Innovator award program is jointly sponsored by Zeneca Ag Products and the No-Till Farmer publication.

Groff was the first vegetable grower in Pennsylvania to experiment with using a mechanized no-till planter vegetable transplanter on a large scale. Over the past sixteen years, he has earned national recognition as a no-till expert, for developing and implementing new no-till cropping methods and equipment modifications.

No-till farming differs from more traditional farming methods, which require that the soil be mechanically "worked" by equipment prior to planting. Because the soil is not disturbed prior to planting, no-till systems provide many environmental and economic benefits, including more appropriate application of crop protection products, and fewer trips across each field with equipment, resulting in lower fuel and labor expenses.

Groff began no-till farming in the early 1980s with 15 acres of corn. Today, he and his father farm 175 acres of corn, soybeans, alfalfa, tomatoes, pumpkins, soybeans and small grains. All of the crops and produce are grown without any tilling of the soil. Each summer, the Groff's host an educational Field Day at their farm, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA), the Keystone Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society and local agri- businesses and equipment dealers. Farmers who attend tour experimental field plots, watch no-till equipment demonstrations and learn about the latest innovations in growing vegetables and field crops.

Zeneca Ag Products and the No-Till Farmer publication honored Groff and five other individuals and groups from across the country as No-Till Innovators. "We are proud to honor Steve Groff as a No-Till Innovator," said Jim Peters of Zeneca Ag Products. "His continuous search for innovative no-till knowledge has proven to be invaluable for growers not only in Pennsylvania, but throughout the United States."

Other No-Till Innovators honored at the conference were:

• Joe Nester, Antwerp, Ohio, in the ag consultant category;

• Eric Laux, New Madison, Ohio, in the agricultural supplier category;

• Paul Jasa, University of Nebraska, in the research & education category;

• the Clark County (Indiana) Farm Bureau, in the organization category;

• and Gene Keeton, Clarksville, Tennessee, (inventor of the finger type planter mechanism, soybean brush meter, and the Keeton Seed Firmer) in the equipment category.

The No-Till Innovators were selected by:

• Frank Lessiter, editor/publisher of No-Till Farmer;

• Jim Peters, Zeneca Ag Products;

• Tom Boyd, B & B Farm Service, Fredericktown, Ohio;

• Marion Calmer, Calmer's Agronomic Research Center, Alpha, Illinois;

• and Dan Towery, the Conservation Technology Information Center.