Seed Drill Program

Watonwan County Land Management / Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) began our seed drill program in 2016. In 2016, our Board of Supervisors utilized our capacity funding to purchase a Great Plains 1006 No-Till Seed Drill for residents in the county to rent to complete various seeding projects. Our 1006NT seed drill seeds 10 feet wide and is specifically designed with special Native Grass II agitators to seed native grass mixtures with small & fluffy seeds. It has three boxes (Main Box, Native Box, and Small Seed Box) that are all chain driven and can be calibrated individually.

In 2020, our Board of Supervisors decided to expand our program and added The Dew Drop seed drill for residents to rent. Our dew drop seed drill is a 3 foot wide and can be easily pulled behind an ATV or UTV. It is designed with two boxes and can seed small & fluffy seeds and can be calibrated for a specific seed mixture rate.

Seed Drill Rental Agreement Forms

In order to reserve the Great Plains 1006NT and The Dew Drop Seed Drill from the Watonwan SWCD, the landowner / operator can contact our office at 507-375-1225.

The Seed Drill Agreement must be filled out and signed prior to picking up the Seed Drill.  You can complete this agreement at the following location:

 Watonwan County Land Management / SWCD office

108 8th Street South, Suite 2, 

St. James MN 56081 

Great Plains 1006 No-Till Seed Drill

  • Rate: $10 per acre charge (Minimum of $75.00 or 7.5 acres & minimum $125.00 outside Watonwan County).
  • Tractor: minimum 75 HP w/ Pioneer Hydraulics and must provide the operator.
  • Seeding width = 10 feet / 15 rows at 7.5 inch spacing
  • Reservation of the seed drill required.

Our Great Plains 1006NT seed drill has completed 126 seeding projects for about 1,400 acres of native grass seedings since 2016. It can be used to seed into standing corn stalks, bean stubble, cut grass, and standing grass. A firm seed bed is preferred to ensure a proper seed to soil contact and protect from wind or water erosion. The 1006NT is ideal for seeding larger sites (acres) and averages 3 - 4 acres per hour of seeding depending on site conditions. Staff are experienced in the calibration process to ensure the drill is set to the pounds per acre required for the seeding project.

Completed Seeding Project 2016 - 2020.

Types of Seeding Projects that have been completed with the 1006 No-Till Seed Drill but not limited to:

  • Filter Strips or Buffers
  • Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) seedings (CP2 / CP23 / CP23A)
  • Pollinator Seed Mixtures
  • Wetland Restoration Projects
  • Pasture (New & Reseeding)
  • Cover Crop Mixtures
  • Corn / Soybean / Winter Wheat / Winter Cereal Rye
Seed Drill Photo
Interseeding CRP

The Dew Drop Seed Drill

  • Rate: $10 per acre charge (Minimum $75.00 or 7.5 acres & minimum $125.00 outside Watonwan County).
  • Minimum 350 cc ATV or UTV or small Utility Tractor - requires a 1 7/8 " ball.
  • Seeding width = 3 feet (broadcast seeding with metal tines)
  • Reservation of the seed drill required.

The Dew Drop Seed Drill is our newest addition to the Seed Drill Program that landowners throughout Watonwan County, MN can utilize for the various seeding projects. The dew drop can be pulled with an ATV or UTV with a 1 7/8 " ball and is ideal for those small seeding sites (acres) or hard to reach areas. Necessary site preparation is important for the Dew Drop - worked up ground to allow proper seed to soil contact. The Dew Drop cannot go through sod, corn stalks, bean stubble or existing grass and run the risk of damaging the coulters. The seed drill can cover about 1 acre per hour at 3 mph.

Types of Seeding Projects that could use the Dew Drop Seed Drill:

  • Converting turf grass into native prairie or pollinator site.
  • Seeding between shrub / tree rows.
  • Small areas of filter strips / buffers / CRP / Pasture
The Dew Drop

Contact Us

If you would like to use either the Great Plains 1006NT or The Dew Drop seed drill, contact our office to make your reservation at (507) 375-1225.