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Mike Lessiter

Mike Lessiter

A second-generation ag journalist, Mike Lessiter joined the family business in 2003 after 12 years in Chicago as editor/publisher of several manufacturing titles. He has been Editor/Publisher of Farm Equipment since its acquisition in 2004, and has served in several capacities with the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Assn. and Assn. of Equipment Manufacturers. In 2007, he was named president of Lessiter Publications Inc. (now Lessiter Media Inc.). Contact: mlessiter@lessitermedia.com

Articles

ARTICLES

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Your No-Till History

No-Till’s Value Seen During Oil Crisis — in South America, That Is…

Interest in no-till adoption got a shot in the arm when struggling Brazilian farmers saw the practice as a means to address sky-high fuel bills from the 1970s oil crisis.
By Mike Lessiter posted on October 11, 2023 | Posted in No-Till Farming 101

Throughout the region of Brazil’s Northern Paraná area, slowly some farmers showed at least some curiosity about how no-till worked. The researchers were also curious. The No-Till History series is made possible by Montag Manufacturing.


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No-Till Farmer's Editors Debate Right to Repair

By Mike Lessiter, Frank Lessiter, and Kim Schmidt posted on April 21, 2023 | Posted in Equipment

Lessiter Media Inc., now in its 42nd year of independent and family ownership, is uniquely positioned in the Right to Repair (R2R) debate, publishing both grower- and dealer-facing content.The content that follows presents a unique vantage point in all of agricultural media. Here, the content leaders of the two divisions – and on each side of the chasm –express their respective audience’s arguments on this R2R debate.


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Your No-Till History

Darwin’s ‘Lowly Earthworm’ Gets Its Due

In time, farmers learned their ‘underground ally’ did the soil work & would become the no-tiller’s best friend.
By Mike Lessiter posted on January 30, 2023 | Posted in No-Till Farming 101, Soil Health
The quest for no-till history research of the last couple years turned up the still-accessible web musings of the late Ed Winkle of Ohio’s Hymark Consulting. One of his “essays” suggested that no-till’s vital “tool” — the earthworm — may not have been indigenous to the U.S. The No-Till History series is made possible by Montag Manufacturing.
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Bill Richards on The Value of No-Tillage

By Mike Lessiter posted on January 7, 2023 | Posted in No-Till Farming 101

Bill Richards, Ohio no-tiller, No-Till Farmer Legend and retired chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), remains frustrated that perfection-seeking scientists haven’t been able to put a dollar value on soils under no-till, nor the economic impact of the farmers. 


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No-Till History

World’s Longest Continuing No-Till Plots at Ohio State Hit 60 Years

Interviews with 90-year-olds Glover Triplett, Bill Richards & others discuss the ‘ground zero’ of no-till science.
By Mike Lessiter posted on January 5, 2023 | Posted in No-Till Farming 101
Newly minted Michigan State University Ph.D.’s Glover Triplett and the late Dave Van Doren arrived at Ohio State University (OSU) in the late 1950s. The No-Till History series is made possible by Montag Manufacturing.
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Profiles in Passion: No-Till’s Proven Template for Changing Ag

By Mike Lessiter posted on December 19, 2022 | Posted in No-Till Farming 101

A necessary lining of the planets was needed to make a revolution like no-till happen. More important than the new herbicides and a no-till-ready planter were the individuals who relentlessly believed in the practice, encouraged farmers to stay the course and tirelessly evangelized on no-till to numerous camps. The No-Till History series is made possible by Montag Manufacturing. 


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