Cover cropCorn and soybean grower Rick Clark of Williamsport, Indiana, began making changes to minimize soil loss 20 years ago. First, he stopped tilling. Then, Rick started growing cover crops. Finally, he began imagining ways to eliminate the fertilizers and herbicides. This led him to create a whole-farm system he calls “organic regenerative stewardship.”

Now, as a no-till, certified organic producer, Clark grows corn, soybeans, winter wheat, alfalfa, buckwheat and peas on 7,000 acres. Every acre grows cover crops.

He measures his progress not in crop yields, which have declined compared with his earlier yields grown under conventional practices, but on increases in soil health and a higher return on investment (ROI). The higher ROI results from savings in purchased inputs.

Read more on the concept of organic regenerative stewardship here.