Winter pulse incentives – get paid for exploring the use of winter peas or other fall seeded pulse varieties in your operation
Winter peas could offer an alternative to planting only wheat during the fall which could enable incorporation of a nitrogen-fixing legume into your rotation. By capitalizing on fall moisture and tolerating cold, winter pulses often out-yield spring-sown pulses, break cereal disease cycles, suppress weeds, fix nitrogen, and avoid late spring-snow planting delays. Pine Creek Conservation District is a partner on a grant awarded to our neighbors at Palouse Conservation District for offering per acre incentives for trying winter pulses.
To qualify for the program, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Be a farmer located within the Palouse or Potlatch watersheds
- Possess a valid FSA farm number
- Be eligible for USDA funding and have fulfilled all related FSA requirement
Approximate incentives (final grant agreement pending, we will update you on final rates when they are known, and you will know the exact amounts prior to signing a contract):
- $~80+/acre for planting winter peas or other winter pulse crop (requires 3 years of planting on different fields, acres can vary year to year)
- $~70/acre for lime applications of less than 2 ton/acre (optional)
- $~100/acre for lime applications greater than 2 ton/acre (optional)
Conservation tillage (aka direct seed, no-till, reduced till)
We have fully allocated our funding for to hiring custom seeding or rent seeding equipment. However, if you are interested in implementing this practice on you farm, please let us know and we can put you in touch with other funding sources or submit an application for future grants.
Direct-seeding is an excellent way to reduce erosion and improve soil health. Our friends at the Pacific Northwest Direct Seed Association put together a nice video with some farmers from our region that have successfully adopted direct seeding practices.
- $30/acre seeded with direct seed or no till drill
- 250 acre maximum (up to 500 if installing a riparian buffer)
- $7500/year reimbursement maximum
- 3 year commitment required
- Download our landowner agreement for more details
Pine Creek Conservation District 