A South Dakota producer says improved draining not only increases plant health but also keeps nutrients on the field
BRANDON — Brian Hefty came to Manitoba Ag Days on Jan. 22 to give a speech about how to “push the limits” for crop yields. The South Dakota farmer did focus on crop nutrition and why it’s critical for producers to understand the results of a soil test. However, the first 17 minutes of Hefty’s […] Read moreTag Archives tile drainage
Manage saline soil and weeds with tile drainage
It can take years for tile drainage to improve soils, and the practice doesn’t make economic sense for every field
Glacier FarmMedia – Tile drainage may be the best tool in the toolbox to manage saline soil in fields, a southwestern Manitoba farmer told an audience at Ag Days in Brandon, Mb. Aaron Hargreaves, who co-owns Harwest Farms south of Brandon, said he and his four partners have struggled with soil salinity on their farm […] Read more
Tile drainage pulls its weight at Manitoba research site
ARBORG, Man. — On July 19 nearly 100 millimetres of rain fell on the town of Arborg, in Manitoba’s Interlake region. A week later, large ponds of water were visible in fields, and ditches were almost full to the brim. But at the Prairies East Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (PESAI) site, three kilometres west of Arborg, […] Read more
Wetter weather increases interest in tile drainage on eastern Prairies
Companies that install the drainage system have taken more questions from farmers looking for ways to manage waterlogged fields
It’s been a rainy spring in the eastern half of the Prairies and Garnet Peters’ phone has been ringing more than usual. Peters is the president and chief executive of the PLS Group of Companies, a business near Morden, Man. that installs tile drainage on farmland. “When it rains, you get calls.” Peters said in […] Read more
Making new cropped acres from old fields
Farmers know where their fields could use some drainage, where tile systems might be a solution. But deciding whether or not it will make them money is a tougher choice. What makes a field a good candidate for a tile investment that will provide a clear return on investment? Thomas Scherer of North Dakota State […] Read more
American study shows broad scale of returns on investments
Two studies were published this summer that show significant return on investment of tile drainage in American cropping conditions. Eileen Kladivko of Purdue University published an update on a 35-year study on a 15-acre plot of poorly drained silt loam soil in Indiana where tile drainage was installed. When the study began in the early […] Read more
Tile drainage can make land more sustainable
In much of Manitoba, this fall was the season of tractor tire ruts. From late August until the middle of October, about 200 millimetres of rain and snow fell on southern Manitoba and North Dakota. The excess precipitation turned farm fields into soup, and growers struggled to get combines and tractors on the land. Some […] Read more
Tile drainage boosts profitability
BRANDON — Is it worth spending $1,000 per acre on tile drainage to get a $40 boost in crop production? If not, is it worth spending that amount to double net profitability? In fact, those are both the same question and should have the same answer, according to Brandon-area farmer Aaron Hargreaves. If tile drainage […] Read more
Drainage with a difference; irrigation included
Retention pond stores water | Stored water could be used for irrigation and keeps nutrients out of rivers and lakes
ELM CREEK, Man. — As he walked into his soybean field, Carl Classen couldn’t help but shake his head. The soil was dry and cracked and the beans desperately needed moisture in the second week of August. The scene made Classen think about last fall, when he decided not to install irrigation on his farm. […] Read more
