Davidson Soil and Water Conservation District strives to meet a growing need among Davidson county and surrounding area farmers who want to seed their land from year to year without disturbing the soil through conventional tillage by having two no-till drills available for rent.
No-till farming increases the amount of water that infiltrates into the soil, increases organic matter retention and improves the cycling of nutrients in the soil. It also reduces or eliminates soil erosion from crop fields. A huge benefit is improvement in soil health. It increases the amount and variety of life in and on the soil, making soils more resilient and capable of growing better quality crops.
Farm operations that utilize no-till farming are much more efficient and will often see a cost-savings in fuel and fertilizer usage quickly. One of the goals is to help farmers renovate pastures so that the economic viability of the farm is restored and the natural resources are protected and improved.
The drills are particularly aimed at small, limited resource owned/operated beef cattle farms. Operating the drills requires at least a 40 horsepower tractor with hydraulic capability. Seeding width of the drills are 5.3 to 6 feet with an overall transport width of approx. 8 to 8 3/4 feet. Both are capable of planting small seeds (clover, legumes), cool season grasses, small grain, millet and soybeans.
Our Truax Flex II 88 Drill can plant fluffy seed (native warm season grasses) and our Great Plains 606 NT Drill is capable of planting larger seeds like grain sorghum and peas. Both drills are available to rent for $15.00 per acre.
