WHAT IS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE?

Pierce Conservation District's Farm Planning and Agricultural Assistance Team provides free farm consultations and site visits to agricultural producers, farm owners, and farm operators in Pierce County. We will work with you to implement farm practices that improve soil and water quality, while at the same time help you improve the production of your crops and management of your livestock. We provide useful information and assistance on implementing best management farm improvement practices. Whether you manage 1-acre or 100-acres, we’re here to help you address your concerns and reach your goals!

WE CAN HELP WITH...

• Livestock, Pasture, and Hayfield Management
• Rotational grazing
• Soil Fertility
• Mud and Manure Management
• Water and Runoff Management
• Irrigation
• Crop Production
• Cover Cropping
• Reduced Tillage Practices
• Pollinator Hedgerows and Habitat Plantings
• Natural Resource Management and Regulatory Guidance
• Fish and Wildlife Habitat Enhancements
• Implementing Conservation Easements
• Navigating Local, State, and Federal Regulations and Permitting

WHAT IS A CONSERVATION FARM PLAN?

Pierce Conservation District's Farm Team assists landowners in developing conservation farm plans. Together, the land user and farm planner will explore management challenges, concerns, and possible impacts of their farming practices on soils, surface and groundwater, crop production, and other natural resources. Each conservation farm plan is tailored to the individual needs of the land user and their farm. These plans are as dynamic as the individuals who create them and can be modified as management plans and/or circumstances change.

A working and functional conservation plan includes a natural resource site inventory, maps, soils information, as well as different options and management recommendations to meet the land user’s objectives while protecting natural resources. Working together, the land user and farm planner will develop a plan that includes a schedule for accomplishing the planned management practice changes that they have decided to implement in stages over the next several years. 

WHAT SPECIFICALLY CAN THE CONSERVATION PLANNING PROCESS DO FOR YOU?

• Provide you with recommendations for managing the natural resources on your farm.
• Provide the designs to implement farm improvement practices.
• May provide sources of financial assistance to implement farm improvement practices
• Pierce Conservation District's non-regulatory and voluntary planning process allows the land user to decide what to implement and when.
• Pierce Conservation District's planning process is recognized statewide by local, state and federal agencies.  Having a conservation farm plan shows that you are committed to implementing best management practices on your farm.

SOIL SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS

If you're not testing, you're guessing! Take the guesswork out of fertilizing your crops, pastures, or hayfields with Pierce Conservation District's Soil Testing Program. Soil testing is the best way to determine the right rate, timing, placement, and source of fertilizers or amendments for your particular crop and site conditions. 

Pierce Conservation District assists in analyzing and providing recommendations based on your soil or nutrient test results. By fertilizing based on soil test results, you will ensure that you do not overapply or underapply nutrients that your crop needs. If you are a commercial crop farmer, grow hay, or have pasture, you may be eligible for five FREE soil tests or two FREE manure tests! For more information, please visit our Farm Services and Equipment Page or contact one of our Farm Planners to schedule a site visit for soil sampling. 

EQUIPMENT RENTALS

Pierce Conservation District offers a variety of equipment for rent or loan to help you implement farm improvement practices on your property. For more information, please visit our Farm Services and Equipment Page. Our Equipment Rental Program includes:

• Manure Spreaders
• No-Till Seed Drill
• Flail Mower
• Hay Probe for Forage Analysis
• Electric Fencing
• Nose Pumps for Offshore Watering

FARM IMPROVEMENT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

We make cost share assistance available to landowners and farmers in Pierce County. Cost share is allocated on an application basis through a competitive process. To learn more about financial assistance opportunities, please visit our Farm Improvement Financial Assistance page, or contact one of our Farm Planners to learn about qualifications and potential funding opportunities.