NDSU Subsurface Drainage Forum Set for Fargo on Feb. 2

Tile drainage or subsurface drainage is being adopted in the Red River Valley basin and other parts of North Dakota by agricultural producers and is the topic of the third Agricultural Subsurface Drainage Forum at North Dakota State University’s Memorial Union Century Theater on Tuesday, Feb. 2.

The NDSU and University of Minnesota Extension Services, along with industry partners, are sponsoring the forum.

The forum will focus on subsurface drainage practices in North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. The forum will include the fundamentals of tile drainage, crop response to water management, economics, relationship between rainfall and the water table, salinity and drainage, water quality and environmental implications of tile drainage.

This educational event is intended for farmers, tiling contractors, landowners, industry and agency staff, crop consultants, students, and land and water resource managers.

“The interest in tile drainage has greatly increased in northwestern Minnesota and North Dakota during the past few years,” says Tom Scherer, NDSU Extension Service engineer. “Contractors are reporting an increase in the acres they tile each year. Research in Fargo and Fairmount in North Dakota and Crookston and Brooks in Minnesota has generated data on crop yields, soil water movement and soil temperatures.”

“There are not only crop yield increases due to tile drainage, but producers also can get into their fields in a timely fashion,” says Hans Kandel, NDSU Extension Service agronomist. “For instance, some producers with tiled ground were able to get into their fields earlier to harvest than their neighbors during the very wet fall. With increased crop production risks, producers are evaluating all new crop production technologies, which include tile drainage.”

Participants attending the drainage forum will learn about the importance of good soil water management from NDSU and U of M Extension specialists and experienced practitioners. Topics about subsurface soil water management, including reasons producers increasingly are looking at water management and alternative land-use options will be discussed. Water-quality impacts and fundamental tile drainage design concepts, along with farmer and agency perspectives, also will be discussed during the day.

There also will be opportunities to visit commercial exhibits during the breaks.

The drainage forum will start with registration at 8 a.m. and conclude at 4 p.m. Those who register early will receive an NDSU parking pass and parking instructions. The Century Theater in the NDSU Memorial Union is a block south of the visitors parking lot.

Preregistration is requested before Jan. 28. The cost for those who preregister is $30, which includes a parking pass, handouts, refreshments and lunch. Registration at the door will be $40. The registration fee can be mailed to the NDSU Plant Sciences Department, attention Lisa Johnson, Dept 7670, P.O. Box 6050, Fargo ND 58108.

The agenda and a registration form are available at http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/broadleaf/.

For more information on the program, contact the NDSU Plant Sciences Department at (701) 231-7122 or Kandel at hans.kandel@ndsu.edu.

For those interested in more technical information, the annual U of M Extension Drainage Design Workshop will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 3, also in the NDSU Memorial Union. Information on this event is available at http://www.drainageoutlet.umn.edu. The event is co-sponsored by NDSU.

NDSU Agriculture Communication