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Abstract Reducing tillage is a key goal for conservation and regenerative agriculture, yet research has struggled to identify ways to increase the use of the practice among farmers. Recent scholarship has identified social capital as an important piece of the adoption puzzle. However, the ways in which farmers' social capital influences conservation practice use are seldom identified or explored. In this study, we tested the effects of three measures of social capital on the adoption of no‐till among 1,523 row crop farmers in the United States Corn Belt. Specifically, we operationalized the extent to which farmers' social networks, network trust, and community conservation norms affect intra‐individual processes and thus influence farmers' decisions regarding adoption. Our results identified key mechanisms for the promotion of conservation practices through social capital. Subjective conservation norms emerged as a main pathway through which farmers' social capital influenced their use of no‐till, indicating that networks, network trust, and community norms can increase adoption through affective paths. We conclude that academic research and policy experts should continue to situate farmers as social actors and pay heed to the norms and cultural expectations surrounding agricultural conservation practices. 

Abstract The Kellogg Biological Station Long‐term Agroecosystem Research site (KBS LTAR) joined the national LTAR network in 2015 to represent a northeast portion of the North Central Region, extending across 76,000 km²of southern Michigan and northern Indiana. Regional cropping systems are dominated by corn (Zea mays)–soybean (Glycine max) rotations managed with conventional tillage, industry‐average rates of fertilizer and pesticide inputs uniformly applied, few cover crops, and little animal integration. In 2020, KBS LTAR initiated the Aspirational Cropping System Experiment as part of the LTAR Common Experiment, a co‐production model wherein stakeholders and researchers collaborate to advance transformative change in agriculture. The Aspirational (ASP) cropping system treatment, designed by a team of agronomists, farmers, scientists, and other stakeholders, is a five‐crop rotation of corn, soybean, winter wheat (Triticum aestivum), winter canola (Brassicus napus), and a diverse forage mix. All phases are managed with continuous no‐till, variable rate fertilizer inputs, and integrated pest management to provide benefits related to economic returns, water quality, greenhouse gas mitigation, soil health, biodiversity, and social well‐being. Cover crops follow corn and winter wheat, with fall‐planted crops in the rotation providing winter cover in other years. The experiment is replicated with all rotation phases at both the plot and field scales and with perennial prairie strips in consistently low‐producing areas of ASP fields. The prevailing practice (or Business as usual [BAU]) treatment mirrors regional prevailing practices as revealed by farmer surveys. Stakeholders and researchers evaluate the success of the ASP and BAU systems annually and implement management changes on a 5‐year cycle.