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Conserving Natural Resources
Services & Rates

Services & Rates

Mercer County Soil Conservation District (MCSCD) provides a variety of services to landowners of Mercer County. If you are interested in a conservation practice, stop by the District Field Office to discuss a program. Please explore the district's services offered in detail below.

Machine Tree Planting

Machine Tree Planting

Machine tree planting is available for conservation tree stock supplied by the district. District technicians operate a tree planter to plant trees per design on properly prepared sites. All tree plantings include a free tree plan.

The charge for mechanical tree planting is $50.00 per 100 feet.

There is a $200.00 minimum charge for any planting less than 1,000 feet.

Tree Plan Designs

Tree plan design for conservation tree planting is a free service to residents of Mercer County. Our technicians will assist you in selecting the appropriate trees for your soil type and address your purposes. This free service includes:

Site Preparation

Tilling

Site preparation (tilling and/or disking) is the key to a successful planting. It is recommended that the planting bed is prepared one growing season prior to planting season. This reduces problems with weeds and grasses that can compete with new tree plantings. MCSCD offers mowing and tilling for planting bed preparation.

The charge for tilling or mowing is $75.00 per hour with a 2 hour minimum

Weed Barrier Fabric Installation

Weed barrier fabric may be installed on new tree plantings. When properly maintained, weed barrier fabric will pay for itself in 3-5 years by not having to implement mechanical or chemical weed control. The fabric is 6 feet wide and mechanically installed by MCSCD technicians.

The charge for weed barrier fabric installation is $90.00 per 100 feet

Mechanical Weed Control

We offer tillage or mowing between tree rows to maintain plantings and control weeds and grasses that compete with trees.

The charge for tilling or mowing is $75.00 per hour with a 2 hour minimum

No-Till Grass Drill

MCSCD offers a Turax 10 foot 16 row no-till grass drill rental. Planting can be accomplished as no-till and interseeding in most conditions, as well as on a prepared seedbed, to conventional seed beds. Double disc furrow openers and depth bands optimize seed placement and seed to soil contact. Multiple seed boxes give you the flexibility to seed native fluffy seeds, cool season species, small grains, legumes, and wildflowers. The drill is equipped with rear transport wheels for easily moving the drill on narrow roadways.

The charge for grass drill rental is $13 per acre with a $200 minimum charge. A deposit of $200 + estimated planting is required. Call to schedule.

Truax No-till Drill

Livestock Water Quality Testing

Fertilizer for lawns and cropland, animal manure, and human waste from failing septic tanks have the potential to add too much nitrate to the environment which can contaminate surface and ground water. In streams we see the impact of too much nitrogen to the system with resulting algal blooms and low dissolved oxygen. Underground, the impacts of nitrate are not apparent. If you depend on a well to provide your livestock fresh water, it’s in your best interest to ensure that it is safe for them to drink. Protect your livestock by scheduling regular checks to ensure water quality. Water analysis report includes sulfate, calcium, magnesium, sodium, TDS (calculated) and SAR. Contact the district for pricing and scheduling.

The charge for Livestock Water Quality Testing is $46.00

Nutritional Balance (NUTBAL)

NutBal

Mercer County SCD is offering a service for ranchers with CSP contracts that include the NUTBAL enhancement. MSCD will assist with data entry, scheduling, collection and shipping of fecal samples. Country ranchers can use the NUTBALK PRO software to determine if the current pasture/rangeland diet is sufficient to meet their livestock nutritional needs.

Prod Report contains information on animal performance, the quality of feedstock, and limiting factors to animal’s health.
Advisory Report contains all the information in the PRO report and recommendations for managing nutrition given current sample results and goals written by one of the scientists at the GAN lab.

MCSCD Office sampling:
$75.00 per sample for Pro Report
$123.00 per sample for Advisory Report

Producer sampling-MCSC Office Shipping samples
$50.00 per sample for Pro Report
$100.00 per sample for Advisory Report

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