The soil health goals Gary Greenlee has for his farms are the same, despite the drastic 1,800-mile distance between them. The long-time no-tiller and strip-tiller farms about 200 acres of silt loam in Illinois, as well as about 1,000 acres of good soil in Idaho.

The Halcomb family in Schochoh, Ky., is full of lifelong learners and critical thinkers willing to push the envelope and try new things when most growers would shy away from the risk.