William J. "Bill" Richards, an innovator in the no-till movement and conservation legend, passed away Nov. 12, at age 93 in his Circleville, Ohio, home.

A farmer and the son of an Ohio farm equipment dealer, Richards brought his farming roots from Circleville to the position as chief of the Soil Conservation Service (SCS, now known as NRCS) from 1990-93 under President George H.W. Bush.

Richards was a strong advocate for no-till adoption. He was a proponent of “convincing” farmers to change rather than “making” them change contingent on conservation funding.

In a 2023 interview with Ohio Farmer after the passing of regenerative master farmer Dave Brandt, he reflected saying, “If only we just had 3,000 people like him and — one in each county — showing people how to do it, not trying to tell them they had to do it. That's what it's going to take to really get it across the country.”

John Torres, an Ohio farming native and executive director of the Maryland Farm Bureau, wrote in a LinkedIn post, “When I started my professional work in ag advocacy as a county Farm Bureau director in Ohio, Bill was one of my strongest supporters and mentors. The many Pickaway County policy development meetings at Bill's farm were some of my best memories in the role. Him, along with people like the late John Stevenson, Shirley Bowser and others, helped me so much in building my skill set in grassroots advocacy and taking big bold actions.

“I was so blessed to be surrounded by giants in county, state and national agriculture in the Fairfield-Hocking-Pickaway-Ross County block. You will be missed, my friend. Thank you so much for your mentorship and friendship!”

No-till message resonates

Under Richards’ guidance, there was a huge leap in no-till acres, and U.S. charts show a dramatic dip in soil erosion.

Throughout his life, Richards educated farmers around the nation and the world about the importance of managing land while protecting the environment. He was one of the first to practice no-till farming on his entire farm operation. For more than 50 years, this no-till farming pioneer and now his family have used no-till production on their Circleville farm.

He was a champion of incorporating the most innovative science and technology, which he considered a moral duty of farmers.

“He was passionate about conservation and determined to make no-till farming economical,” says Randall Reeder, a retired OSU Extension agricultural engineer and executive director of the Ohio No-Till Council. “He used controlled traffic to eliminate most traffic on three-fourths of the field. Then several years ago, he started using cover crops, which improves soil structure and health.”

His four years as chief of SCS gave a jump-start to no-till farming and a boost to soil quality.

“He was primarily responsible, with Jim Moseley, for developing EQIP and CSP programs, which continue to financially support conservation practices,” Reeder adds. “He was eager to work with university Extension and research faculty, and in training new USDA employees. He never turned down an invitation to speak at a conference or field day.”

FARM TOUR: Richards (left) collaborated often with Ohio State University professor Rattan Lal (right) and hosted prominent people at Richards Farm in Circleville, Ohio.

Among many accolades, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources honored Richards with the 2013 ODNR Hall of Fame award, the department’s highest honor.

As it’s noted in his obituary, “His contribution to agriculture lives on in the seeds of knowledge and curiosity that he sowed for farmers across the country.” Read the full obit here.

Service information

The visitation will be from 1 to 6 p.m. Nov. 19 at Richards Farms, 24537 Canal Road, Circleville, Ohio. The funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Nov. 20 at Circleville Presbyterian Church, 134 E. Mound St., Circleville, Ohio, with a private burial to follow.

Richards is survived by his sons, Bruce S. Richards (Betsy) and Elmon S. Richards (Connie); daughter-in-law, Loribeth Kowalski; his grandchildren, Ashley Richards (Geoffrey Robicheaux), Brock Richards (Siobhan), Mason Richards (Katherine), Maria Roberts (Frank) and Julie Foy (Patrick); step-grandchildren, Jason (Kristi) Carithers and Lisa Salyers; several great-grandchildren; and a special friend, Grace Moore.

Richards was preceded in death by his wife, Grace Stevenson Richards; his son, William Stevenson Richards; father, Elmon Eben Richards; and mother, Mabel Haynes Richards.