Alan Sano and Jesse Sanchez of Sano Farms in Firebaugh, CA graciously hosted Brazilian conservation agriculture researcher from Sao Paolo state, Roberto Botelho at their farm on February 23rd. Botelho is visiting the San Joaquin Valley with CASI's Mitchell, who has taken him around to a number of farms where he's been able to meet local pioneers of improved performance production systems. Sanchez took Botelho out to several of Sano Farms' cover crop fields and dug up soil to show how things have changed since cover cropping and minimum tillage were begun over ten years ago. Not only have there been remarkable changes in soil tilth, but Sanchez and Sano are also now able to reduce fertilizer and water use at their farm after so many years of consistent cover crop and reduced disturbance approaches.