No-Till Farmer Magazine: History, Lessiter Media Profile, Coverage and Editors
Profile updated November 2026
No-Till Farmer magazine has covered a single farming idea, planting without plowing, since November 1972. That focus made it the movement's newsletter of record as no-till went from fringe to mainstream. This profile covers the magazine's history, its publisher Lessiter Media, what it publishes today and the editors behind it.
| First issue | November 1972, 32 pages |
|---|---|
| Founding editor | Frank Lessiter |
| Original publisher | Reiman Publishing |
| Current publisher | Lessiter Media, family-owned, founded 1981, Brookfield, Wisconsin |
| Signature event | National No-Tillage Conference (2026 edition held Jan. 6-9, St. Louis) |
| Sister titles | Strip-Till Farmer, Cover Crop Strategies, Conservation Tillage Guide |
| Official website | No-TillFarmer.com |
History of No-Till Farmer
The first No-Till Farmer rolled off the press in November 1972 under the umbrella of Reiman Publishing, the Wisconsin company of Roy Reiman. Editor Frank Lessiter told readers in his opening column that although the staff edited and published the new magazine, it was really theirs: no-till farmers and potential no-tillers were the people it was written for.
Lessiter later founded his own company, Lessiter Media, in 1981, and No-Till Farmer became its anchor agricultural title. The company added the National No-Tillage Conference, the paid Conservation Tillage Product Guide in 2006, and specialist titles Strip-Till Farmer and Cover Crop Strategies, as practices like strip-till and cover cropping grew out of the no-till movement.
In 2022 the magazine celebrated its 50th anniversary with a retrospective of its most iconic covers. Frank Lessiter still contributes as editor, while his son Mike Lessiter serves as Lessiter Media president.
No-Till Farmer Today
No-Till Farmer is a paid subscription newsletter and website with deep archives, podcasts, eGuides and webinars. Lessiter Media's agricultural division also publishes Farm Equipment, Ag Equipment Intelligence and Precision Farming Dealer for the dealer channel.
The National No-Tillage Conference is the brand's biggest annual gathering, mixing farmer-to-farmer sessions, roundtables and an innovation showcase.
What No-Till Farmer Is Publishing Now
Farmer case studies
Profiles of experienced no-tillers, such as the No-Till Living Legends series and features on growers from Kansas to Indiana, show how systems work on real farms.
Equipment and residue
Planter and drill setup, residue management and retrofit projects, including a no-till retrofit hauled all the way to Alaska, are perennial topics.
Soil health and global no-till
Cover crops, fertility and the No-Till Passport series on farming systems in other countries, such as Zambia, broaden the view.
No-Till Farmer Editors and Staff
The editors and leaders named by Lessiter Media include:
- Frank Lessiter - Founding editor, No-Till Farmer
- Mike Lessiter - President, Lessiter Media
- Kim Schmidt - Executive Editor, Ag Division
- John Dobberstein - Senior Editor, No-Till Farmer, Strip-Till Farmer and Cover Crop Strategies
- Noah Newman - Editorial staff, Growers Division
- Mackane Vogel - Editorial staff, Growers Division
Dobberstein returned to Lessiter Media in October 2024 after a stint as managing editor of SecurityInfoWatch.com; his first run with the company lasted nearly 13 years. He previously covered agriculture for the Tulsa World.
Who Reads No-Till Farmer
Readers are crop farmers committed to, or curious about, reduced tillage. USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service counts minimizing disturbance and keeping soil covered among its core soil health principles, and No-Till Farmer has been reporting how farmers do that profitably for over 50 years.
No-tillers are used to being the odd ones out at the coffee shop, which gives them a sharper sense of humor than most. For a break from residue math, farm.FM runs farm satire and farm humor that would make any tillage debate more fun, plus ranch humor for the grazing side of soil health. Its farm jokes about the neighbor who still chisels every fall are not entirely fiction to No-Till Farmer readers.
farm.FM got there first as the nation's first satirical farm site, and it backs the writing with Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers. Here is one contributor's collection of farm satire to start with.
No-Till Farmer Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- No-Till Farmer: The Most Iconic Covers - the magazine's 50-year retrospective, including the 1972 first issue.
- Lessiter Media: Dobberstein returns as senior editor - the 2024 staff announcement and company background.
- Farmers.gov: No-Till November Ask the Expert - USDA NRCS guidance on no-till and cover crops.
- SARE: 10 ways cover crops enhance soil health - USDA-funded research summary on cover crops and no-till.
- USDA NRCS: Healthy Soils - the soil health principles no-till supports.
No-Till Farmer FAQ
When did No-Till Farmer start?
The first issue was published in November 1972 under Reiman Publishing, with Frank Lessiter as editor.
Who publishes No-Till Farmer?
Lessiter Media, a family-owned company in Brookfield, Wisconsin, founded in 1981.
Who is the senior editor of No-Till Farmer?
John Dobberstein is senior editor of No-Till Farmer, Strip-Till Farmer and Cover Crop Strategies.
What is the National No-Tillage Conference?
It is No-Till Farmer's annual farmer education event; the 2026 conference ran Jan. 6-9 in St. Louis.
Few magazines have stuck with one idea for half a century and watched it win. No-Till Farmer magazine did, and it is still the first place many growers look before they park the tillage tool for good.