June 9, 2015 | Pat Beaujot

We’re Starting “From the Ground UP”

Greetings no-till advocates and readers new and old! This blog is to inform you of some exciting changes that we’ve made to how you access our content. NO-TILLville has enjoyed some great successes and participation since its humble beginnings in 2013. I have loved sharing my experiences with my audience about my history, the history of Seed Hawk, agronomy and advocacy, and I am thrilled to be able to be a part of some changes that will make it easier to access and share this content.

When we started NO-TILLville, we had two ideas in mind. We wanted to be able to jump-start conversations, and maybe even controversies, in the no-till community. From there, it made sense to share the knowledge that we had with others around the world, because we saw similarities in growing conditions in some regions when we were travelling, and knew that growers could benefit from the experiences of others they had never met. This second aim was considerably more difficult, as it relied not only on a high level of participation, but also on bridging language barriers in some way, and offering translating moderators to ensure everyone would understand one another. In the end, the blogs received the most support and attention, so we committed our efforts to producing more.

Now, the issues within agriculture are shifting, as they always have, but a few things remain constant. One of those constants is the strong commitment that we have toward protecting our soil, and keeping it healthy for the generations ahead of us that will be relied upon to produce ever-more food for a hungry world. I will continue to blog on soil, in support of the International Year of Soils and beyond.

I have taken on some new interests in the last couple of years, including a commitment to advocating for the farming community, against the misinformation that seems to be taking hold over an unsuspecting public. I enjoy these blogs, and I hope you do too, and will share them, both with your peers, and those who aren’t in the ag community, as these are the minds we need to change.

I will also take on some new topics within agronomy as part of this new shift toward “From the Ground UP”, as well as continue to tell you about the places I see when I travel. We hope to include some guest bloggers from a variety of places over time as well, so stay tuned for that!

In the meantime, please have a look around at the new space, and let us know what you think of the changes we’ve made.

The changes include:

• A new name: “From the Ground Up: Inspiring Views on the Evolution of Soil and Agriculture”.
• A new home on www.seedhawkseeder.com.
• You will be able to access the blog without having to sign up an account
• You will have access to more pictures and video as part of our blog content.
• You will be able to share our content through your own social media channels.

We thank you, our readers, for joining us on this journey in spreading awareness of no-till agriculture and the issues it faces within the farming world. We hope you will continue to follow and support us in our new home.

Connect with us on Twitter @NOTILLville or @PatrickBeaujot and let us know your thoughts on the new blog. You’ll be able to add your comments easily and be a part of this important conversation in agriculture. I love to get your comments, and respond when I can, so don’t be shy!

Emergence of crop in a no-till farming practice. Soil is protected and organic matter preserved.