Drill Seeding Rangeland - Demonstration Day

Big Sur Land Trust’s Marks Ranch has served as a grazing land for livestock for many years. However, grazing operations were interrupted in 2016 with the Soberanes Fire and again in 2020 with the River Fire when, throughout the duration of these wildfires, the ranch served as the incident command center. The equipment and personnel activities on the staging area resulted in compacted soil and absence of vegetation covering. As part of the recovery efforts, Big Sur Land Trust and the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation have implemented rangeland seeding on the impacted area.

Rangeland seeding is a practice that can restore degraded land while increasing healthy forage for livestock. It can also improve soil health, re-establish native vegetation that increases habitat value, create pollinator habitat, improve water filtration, increase carbon sequestration, among many other benefits. Depending on your goals and your land structure, drill seeding can be an effective method to implement during your seeding project. Drill seeders directly place seeds into the soil with minimal ground disturbance. The Truax seeder, that will be used in the live demonstration of drill seeding, can be calibrated to provide an even seeding rate of large, small, and fluffy seeds.

Join us in the field to learn more about drill seeding and alternative seeding methods. Watch a live demonstration of drill seeding at Marks Ranch. Gain an understanding of what factors to consider when implementing a rangeland seeding project and how to determine best seed mixtures. Learn how the Healthy Soils Program can help fund your rangeland seeding project. For more information or to register for the event contact Jazmine Mejia-Muñoz at [email protected] or call (661) 331-2612.

This event is supported by the California Climate Investments Program.

Host or Publisher Jazmine Mejia - Muñoz, MS