09/15/05 Direct seeding a benefit for many farmers

Palouse farmer John Aeschliman made the switch in the early 1970's and he's a believer in no-till direct seeding. AESCHLIMAN "And every spring without fail you'd step out the door to three inches of mud and water running everyplace, you know. Under the house, in the cellar, just from erosion. That's the driver of what it all started with, to stop the erosion." This Colfax, Washington farmer is also president of the Pacific Northwest Direct Seed Association, the group hosting Idaho and eastern Oregon growers next week on a two day farm tour. They'll travel from Boise to Pendleton, Oregon, to have a chance to talk to and question irrigated and dryland direct seed farmers. Aeschliman says direct seeding has brought many benefits to his four thousand acres of wheat, barley, beans, lentils, canola and sunflowers. AESCHLIMAN "The whole atmosphere has changed. The soil life has come back, you know, earthworms and all the microorganisms and that sort of thing all come back. The PH has been adjusted back into the low sixes. And we have deep moisture that's accumulating because nothing runs anymore. Consequently we've gone into alternative crops like corn. People have never heard of raising corn in the Palouse because you don't have enough rainfall here." There's a lot more to the direct seed story and you learn it on tour next Tuesday and Wednesday. Aeschliman says they still have seats, you can join him on the bus by calling the association in Moscow at (208) 883-3645. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott