Conservation District gives farmers look into direct seed equipment

Direct seed systems can help farmers hold down input costs by limiting the amount of fertilizer and fuel needed to plant a crop. Unfortunately, they also come with a six-figure price tag which can be a burden for farmers who already face high costs for farming equipment.

Tuesday morning, the Palouse-Rock Lake Conservation District and the Pacific Northwest Direct Seed Association showed scores of farmers different types of direct seed drills can do and informed them of how government programs can help finance them.

On display on the Bailey Eades Flat, just east of St. John, was a wide variety of direct seed drills – some built by traditional implement manufacturers, some built by local farmers in their shops. Those makers were on hand to answer questions and explain the mechanics of their equipment.

After going over the workings of the drills, the owners took them out and planted swaths in the Bailey field.

“That’s what this is for, is for you guys to learn how it works and if it will work for you,” Dan Harwood, Palouse-Rock Lake CD coordinator, told farmers.

Farmers had an opportunity to look at the planted ground to see how accurately the drills planted seed and applied fertilizer, while leaving last year’s crop residue in place to put nutrients back into the soil.

The exhibition was presented as part of a grant the conservation district received from the state Department of Ecology. The grant provided $162,750 to set up a four-year campaign to show farmers the environmental and economic benefits of direct seed and mulch till farming methods.

Earlier this year, the conservation district launched a mentor program, which pays farmers to direct seed the fields of other farmers so they can compare the effects of the alternative seeding method.

An accompanying grant was awarded to the Spokane Conservation District.

The Spokane Conservation District has a pool of grant funding from ecology that allows it to finance farmers’ purchases of direct equipment.

“It’s the only financing program that’s specifically focused on one type of equipment,” said Ty Meyer, program manager for the district. “If there’s an implement that helps farmers get into direct seeding, we can help them buy it.”

Equipment can be new or used and can be purchased from dealers or from other farmers. Meyer said the program was set up to be flexible with no application fees and no penalties for early payment.

“We’ve really used it as a tool to help get farmers into direct-seeding,” he said.

Farmers receive loans at different terms based on how much they borrow. Loans under $75,000 come with a 5.5 percent interest rate over a five year term. Loans over $75,000 are charged six percent interest over seven years.

The grant comes out of ecology’s Centennial Clean Water Fund, which distributes money to projects that improve water quality. Meyer said direct seed systems qualify for funding from the program because they lower soil erosion.

Meyer said loan applications are processed quickly because the conservation district has control over the funding pool.

“Once they apply for the loan, and we determine it qualifies for a direct seed operation, it typically takes about a week to get the money,” said Meyer. “The dealers love it, because the sale can go through right away.”