In 2012, the NCR-SARE Administrative Council created the NCR-SARE Hero Recognition to highlight, recognize, and pay tribute to those who have contributed to NCR-SARE and/or National SARE.
Jack Erisman and Edgar Hicks have been named the 2025 Heroes.
Jack Erisman
Jack Erisman has been a visionary Illinois farmer for over six decades. On 2,000 acres near Pana, Illinois, he began regenerative practices in 1963—reducing tillage, rotating crops with cover crops, integrating livestock, and eliminating synthetic insecticides and anhydrous ammonia by 1969. In 1988, the year SARE was founded, he began transitioning to certified organic, achieving full certification in the early 1990s.
His work has been featured in Steel in the Field, Managing Cover Crops Profitably, and other SARE resources. He served on the NCR-SARE Administrative Council from 2006-2007, the Farmer Rancher Grant Review Committee, and SARE’s Illinois State Program Advisory Board. He participated in SARE-funded research on nutrient runoff, weed control, and cover crops.
A dedicated educator and advocate, Jack received the 2011 R.J. Vollmer Sustainable Agriculture Farmer of the Year Award and has spoken at field days and conferences, including MOSES and OGrain. He helped found the Illinois Sustainable Agriculture Society, the Illinois Organic Growers Association, and the Illinois Regenerative Agriculture Initiative. He also served as president of the Illinois Sustainable Agriculture Network and contributed to national policy via the Rodale Institute’s Organic Farmers Association. In 2017, the University of Illinois named a soft red winter wheat variety after him. That same year, he presented his Kernza work at the Prairie Festival, highlighting his commitment to climate resilience and crop diversification.
His legacy continues through his son, Ryan, who utilizes regenerative methods, such as pasture-based livestock and rotational cropping, on his farm in Wisconsin. Now in his 80s, Jack remains an active mentor and advocate, leaving a lasting mark on sustainable agriculture.
Leaders in sustainable agriculture offered tributes as Erisman was nominated and selected to receive this recognition. Read more.
Edgar Hicks
Edgar Hicks was a visionary grain marketer and commodities expert whose 40-year career advanced sustainable agriculture and rural equity. Born in Louisiana, he studied finance at Pace University, where he met his wife of 52 years, Anna Kai (Wong) Hicks. He began his career in 1971 at the Chicago Board of Trade and later moved to Nebraska, where he became a leader in supporting Black farmers and revitalizing rural communities.
Edgar served on the NCR-SARE Administrative Council from 2007-2015, participated in the Farmer Rancher Grant Review Committee, and contributed to the Circle of Sustainability initiative from 2008-2011. He also represented NCR-SARE at numerous events, including hosting tours and engaging youth at the MANRRS National Conferences. He remained active with SARE as a member of its Alumni and Heroes Committees.
As a founding member and board chair of the Kansas Black Farmers Association, Edgar also helped launch the Nicodemus Flour Cooperative, introducing teff and leading the development of signature products like Nicodemus Flour and Pancake Mix, which reached local markets under his guidance.
From 2013, Edgar shared his expertise in marketing, equity, and rural resilience as a faculty member at Kansas State University. He also served on USDA and CFTC advisory boards, sparking dialogue across generations and championing inclusion in agriculture.
Edgar passed away on June 29, 2024. This recognition is presented posthumously to his wife, Anna, and his son William Edgar Hicks and William’s wife Helen in honor of his enduring legacy.
Leaders in sustainable agriculture offered tributes as Hicks was nominated and selected to receive this recognition. Read more.