Teller Wildlife Refuge plants seed of knowledge with no-till drill workshop

Teller Wildlife Refuge is holding its first no-till drill workshop on March 17 at the refuge in Corvallis. The workshop is free and runs from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the big red barn.

The refuge received $45,000 from the conservation district in 2025 and used the money to invest in a 7-foot-wide Remlinger 2300 No-Till Grain Drill and trailer.

The refuge got the machine as part of a program to rent it out to people in the community, but so far, not many people have rented the equipment. The refuge hopes this workshop will enhance awareness of the no-till drill program and help give people the opportunity to learn more about its benefits and how to use it.

A no-till drill is an agricultural machine used for seeding. Farmers can plant seeds without disturbing the soil because the machine creates small furrows, which are like a narrow trench in the soil where a seed gets deposited. The soil around each furrow is left intact and once seeds are in place a press wheel is used over the soil to help make it firm.

No-till drilling is considered to be more environmentally friendly and operates without flipping soil which preserves more moisture and prevents erosion, according to Teller staff.

Teller Wildlife Refuge Director Dan Bailey said they used the machine for the fall planting in 2025 and the machine works great. All the planting they do at Teller Wildlife Refuge is to fight invasive weeds. During the spring they plant things like oats and barley, and in fall they plant a reclamation mix. According to Bailey, one of the benefits is the no-till drill has a seed box for small native grass seeds which can be used to restore agricultural lands where weeds have become prominent.

Bailey said they already have 30 people signed up for the workshop and they still have a few more spots if people would like to register.

For more information or to sign up for the event please go to www.tellerwildlife.org