email us
   
 
1985
B.Ag.Sci. from UWA
 
1985
employed by Department of Agriculture
 
1996
Landcarer of the year in WA
 

2000
Speaker at Pacific North West No-Till Farmers conference

International Speaker at USA No-Till Conference
 
  2001
Speaker at APPRISID No-Till Farmers conference in Brazil
 

2002
M.Sci. from UWA

Speaker at Capetown farmers' conference
 
2003
Honorary Life Member of WANTFA
 
2003
Associate Member of AAAC
 
2004
International Speaker at Ukraine No-Till conference
 
  2006
GRDC Seed of Light Award
 
  2008
Speaker at AAPRISID No-Till Farmers conference in South America
 
  2010
McKell Medal Award
 
  2011
Key note speaker at Namibian Farmers Conference
   
   

About us

Bill Crabtree
(B.Ag.Sci., M.Sc. UWA, Cert. IV TAA). McKell medal 2009.

Known as "No-Till Bill" for his enthusiasm for no-tillage and the role he played in the Western Australian no-tillage revolution. Bill began his career with the WA Dept of Ag as a researcher into "Minimum tillage for wind erodable soils" in his home erosion-swept town of Jerramungup.

Now Jerramungup is a leader in the adoption of no-till cropping systems. He then extended this work to farmers in Esperance and the rest of the state which led to him receiving the "Landcarer of the year award in WA" in 1996.

Bill spent a year in Canada in 1996, learning how they do no-tillage. While there he co-edited their book Advancing the Art of Zero Tillage which is on the ManDak website.

He returned to WA as the Scientific Officer for the WA No-Till Farmers Association for a 5.5-year term.

Bill is now a consultant specializing in no-tillage technologies based in Cannington WA. His home state now boasts an 90% adoption of no-tillage and no-tillage has dramatically improved WA's production, especially in the recent droughts.

Bill received the prestigious GRDC's Western Panel Seed of Light Award in 2006 for excellence in communication. This was particularly for the role in extending information on no-tillage and biotechnology.

Why Bill got into No-tillage (pdf)

Written for the CSIRO Carbon Kids Project. Reproduced with permission of CSIRO, December 2010.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Above: Bill and Jon Crabtree competing in the Avon Descent

In December 2007 Bill purchased 3,200 hectares of York Gum farmland at NE Morawa and has been working closely with his older brother Geoff with great financial support from his father James Crabtree.

In March 2011, Bill spent a month in NSW, Victoria and South Australia providing Sustainable Agriculture workshops to groups of local farmers. He said it was interesting seeing first hand the effects of the flooding, droughts and pest issues for the 2011 growing season. He also sold 80 books.

In April 2011 Bill travelled to Namibia to visit farmers and to speak at the Namibian Farmers' conference. He enjoyed learning of the challenges of farming in western africa and found the locals very hospitable.

Bill also:plays guitar, has completed 3 Avon descents, and walks with Monique.