Farm Director KC Sheperd spoke with Aaron Sawyer, Director of No-Till on the Plains, who discussed the group’s recent “soil health bus tour,” which began in Kansas and ventured into Oklahoma. “We left Kansas yesterday morning and met, met our Oklahoma friends,” Sawyer said, sharing that they visited Tom Cannon’s farm to explore “crop diversity rotations” and soil structures. Despite receiving “over two and a half inches of rain,” Sawyer was impressed that they experienced minimal mud, noting it as a testament to improved soil structure and health.
Their journey also included a stop at the Noble Foundation in Ardmore, Oklahoma, where they observed ranches undergoing soil health practices. The following day brought them to Mountain View for a visit with Fusion Ag, where they toured “pasture cropping and some of their mixes.” Sawyer remarked on the unusual weather: “So far it’s rained at about every stop we’ve been on, and it’s cool. Overcast and in the eighties, 1st of July. That’s not normal Oklahoma.”
A significant contrast was observed between no-till and conventionally tilled fields. As Sawyer explained, “in the no-till fields, you didn’t see a lot of ponding,” whereas tilled fields displayed “a lot of gully erosion.” One standout moment was when Tom Cannon pointed out runoff in his field and asked Sawyer to notice the clarity of the water: “What was coming off was clean—it wasn’t carrying soil with it.”
The tour also explored unique land management techniques at the Noble Foundation, such as targeted grazing. “They’re using a goat herd!” Sawyer said, adding, “I had never seen 937 mama goats with babies out on pasture.” The goats were rotated every few days, contributing to brush control in what Sawyer called “the green glacier of brush” overtaking pastures. This multi-species grazing approach was new to Sawyer, but he acknowledged its potential: “It’s neat to see that multi-species grazing aspect.”
As for future plans, Sawyer explained this bus tour would be the only one for the year due to the intense effort required to coordinate such events. However, he shared excitement about upcoming workshops: “We’re gonna have a two-day kind of fundamental, intermediate…on rangeland one day and cropland the next day” in Greensburg, Kansas. He encouraged listeners to learn more at their website, saying, “You can check us out on our website, no-till.org. We’re on all social media.”
