Conservation District may start no-till drill rental program

Kootenai-Shoshone Soil and Water Conservation District may start a no-till drill rental program for local landowners. The goal is to improve soil health, water quality, reduce erosion, save time and money for landowners with tillable soil, according to a press release.

With a no-till drill, landowners can adopt a plant and graze pattern on two to three acres to larger fields of 100 acres or more.

"Instead of tilling then planting, seed can be directly planted into a grazed field," a press release said. "A no-till drill allows landowners to make at least 4 less passes which has a major economic benefit."

The district says it believes no-till planting is restorative for soil health with five goals: minimize soil disturbance; introduce diversity into our cropping system with cover crops; have a living root in the system to feed soil microbiology; keep the soil covered to reduce erosion and improve water quality and get livestock back on to lands that are cropped.

The district would offer to rent out a smaller no-till drill to meet the needs of local landowners for reseeding pastures and planting small grains without plowing.

The district also is offering a no-till drill survey. It asks if you are interested in renting a no-till drill for seeding, how often, how many acres you seed, and if you would pay $15 per acre to rent the drill with a 10-acre minimum.

Info: (208) 209-4348 or KSSWCD@yahoo.com