Pasture Management Farm Tour
Monday, June 22, 3:00pm - 5:00pm, Roy
We had hoped to host this as an in-person farm tour, but the timeline of the phased reopening looks like it be possible. Please register here and we'll send you the link to join the tour via video conference.
Walk the fields of a 50-acre former dairy turned beef cattle,
horse, and hay farm in Roy with Marty Chaney, Agronomist with
the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service, Gudrun
Mahrt, a sales representative from Columbia River Carbonates,
Warwick Bryant, a custom farmer and sheep and hay grower
from the Key Peninsula, and Rene’ Skaggs Farm Resource
Specialist with the Pierce Conservation District to review the
importance of soil analysis, addressing drainage or irrigation
considerations, and to discuss the connection between healthy
forage growth and weed competition.
Learn how to correctly assess existing production levels,
identify common weed species and control methods,
accurately determine nutrient application rates, and maximize
forage outputs. This tour will be available in a virtual format via
Facebook Live and Zoom, and a recording of the tour will also
be available after the event.
NEW 2020 COVER
CROP COST SHARE
PROGRAM!
As our cover crop program enters its
third year, we are excited to pilot a new
cost share program to support farmers
using cover crops. Whether you are
an experienced cover cropper looking
to try a new seeding mix or you are
interested in trying cover crops for the
first time, this program is for you!
PCD is offering 75% cost share, up to
$150/acre, for cover crop seedings in
2020. Eligible expenses include seed,
inoculant, fertilizer, labor and equipment
rental for establishing cover crops.
Steps to access this program are:
- Work with a PCD farm planner to fill
out a simple jobsheet for your cover
crop seeding.
- Seed your cover crop and receive
your cost share reimbursement.
- Share what you learn! Complete a
short evaluation with a PCD planner
after you terminate your cover crop
planting to capture successes and
lessons learned that PCD can use with
our cover crop network. An important
goal for the cost share program is
provide a mechanism to capture ways
farmers in Pierce County are using
cover crops to better inform PCD’s
technical outreach and field trial
collaborations with WSU Puyallup
Research and Extension Center.
And don’t forget PCD has a no-till
seed drill available to borrow! At a 6
foot working width the

drill is ideal for
any cover crop application if you have
a minimum 40 HP tractor with rear
remote hydraulics to run it. We also
have a flail mower available to borrow
as an option for terminating cover crops
and leaving residue evenly chopped and
distributed.
Please see our
cover crop assistancepage for information on these programs
and to access our list of favorite cover
cropping resources, and contact:
Alison at
AlisonN@piercecd.org or
(253) 845-9770 ext. 132 for more
information.