Equipment Rental
No-Till Drill Rental Program
The Dunn County Land and Water Conservation Division has a Great Plains no-till drill available for Dunn County residents and landowners to rent for the purposes of establishing conservation practices, planting cover crops and renovating pastures. The drill is a Model 1006NT 10 foot end wheel drill and can handle a variety of seeds from alfalfa to soybeans as well as all types of cover crops and grass seed mixtures.
A security deposit of $100.00 is required and the drill is available for a two-day rental period for $50.00 or a four-day rental period for $100.00 plus an additional $8.00 for each acre seeded. The landowner provides a tractor with 75 or more horsepower and seed. Staff from the LWCD will assist with setup and calibration as needed.
Please contact our office for more information.
Tree Planter Rental Program
The Dunn County Land and Water Conservation Division has 5 tree planters available for Dunn County residents and landowners to rent on a daily basis. A reasonable fee is charged to cover maintenance and repairs. The landowner needs to supply a tractor and driver and one or two people to operate the tree planting machine. Approximately 5,000 trees can be planted per day with a tree planting machine.
Successful tree planting begins in the fall prior to your expected planting date. A professional forester should be consulted to determine if weed control and/or site preparation is necessary. Trees may be ordered from a private nursery or from the Department of Natural Resources. If you are ordering trees from the DNR, please read the entire application to make sure your project meets the requirements of the program. Trees obtained from the DNR will be shipped from their State nursery to Menomonie. Shipments will be staggered to allow maximum use of the tree planters.
Two of the machines available are “RE-FORESTER” models that were purchased with grant money from the Wisconsin Wild Turkey Stamp Program and from the Ruffed Grouse Society. All types of tree and shrub seedlings can be planted with these machines because they can accommodate a large root system. These planters require a tractor with remote hydraulics. Also available are two “Three Point Hitch” models. These planters are compact and easy to maneuver. They are best suited for planting pine. The fifth machine is equipped with a hand hydraulic pump and works well on small jobs and sites with long rows or trees such as windbreaks and shelterbelts.
Please contact our office if you are a Dunn County resident or landowner and would like to rent a tree planter. Our phone number is (715) 232-1496.
Tree Planting Bar
Hand tree planting bars are available from our office for small tree planting projects and sites where machine planting is not possible. These also work well for planting up to 1,000 trees when school or educational groups are available to assist you.
Please contact our office at (715)232-1496 if you are a Dunn County resident or landowner and wish to use a tree planting bar. A refundable deposit is required.
Mulcher
Soil particles must be dislodged before they can be moved. This is one part of the erosion process. When raindrops fall on bare soil, much energy is expended. Small clods and soil granules are broken down by the impact of the falling drops of water. Studies made by the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service show that from 1 to 100 tons of soil per acre may be splashed into the air during one rain. This splashed-up soil consists of single particles that have been dislodged from the soil mass. Thus, they are easily transported from their original location by any water movement on the surface, no matter how slight. There need not be a steep slope for this kind of erosion since fine particles can be carried by slow-moving water.
You will find that soil particles are splashed to a height of more than 2 feet and may be moved more than 5 feet horizontally on level surfaces. On steep slopes, soil particles fall downhill and this results in considerable soil movement without being carried by water.
Fine soil particles are the most easily moved. This results in erosion of the fine particles such as silt and clay, leaving only sand and gravel on the surface. You can see this in cultivated fields after a hard rain.
A mulcher is a machine used to blow straw, as a protective cover, on newly disturbed construction sites. It should be done immediately after new seeding. The purpose of the protective cover is twofold: to halt the splash impact of raindrops and to preserve moisture for the new plants.
Please contact us at (715)232-1496 if you are a Dunn County resident or landowner and would like to rent the mulcher.
Soil Probes
Soil probes can be used to pull a core sample of soil from crop fields or other areas of land where fertility may be in question. Fertilizer and lime (pH) needs can be determines by lab analysis. These samples can also be used to determine secondary and micronutrient deficiencies as well as preplant or pre-sidedress soil nitrate tests. Many use a soil probe to sample fields to meet 590 Nutrient Management requirements.
Please contact our office if you are a Dunn County resident or landowner and wish to use a soil probe. Our phone number is (715) 232-1496. A refundable deposit is required.
Weed Wrench
We have one weed wrench available for rental with a jaw capacity of up to 1.5 inches. It is 43 inches in height and weighs 11.5 pounds. It will work on virtually all woody plants. Plants that it can be used for include acacia, burdock, Japanese barberry, Chinese elm, eucalyptus, tamarisk/salt cedar, french broom/genista, hackberry, scotch broom, privet, buckthorn, multiflora rose, honeysuckle, Norway maple, gorse, conifers, manzanita, Russian olive, willow, and holly.
Please contact our office if you are a Dunn County resident or landowner and wish to use the weed wrench. Our phone number is (715) 232-1496. A refundable deposit is required.