Producers, landowners, consultants, drainage contractors, government agency staff and water resource managers will have an opportunity to learn about subsurface drainage and water table management during a tile drainage design workshop the North Dakota State University Extension Service is holding March 27.

The workshop will be in Loftsgard Hall, Room 380, on the NDSU campus.

The workshop will focus on the basics of planning and designing agricultural tile drainage systems, including water management structures and lift stations. The course content will be taught in four design sessions. Participants will be able to do exercises to reinforce the concepts presented.

“Proper design of a tile project is critical to the future performance of the system,” says Tom Scherer, NDSU Extension agricultural engineer and one of the event’s organizers. “When we think about tile drainage, we also must consider managing the amount of water leaving the field. Fortunately, we can use pumps and control structures for water management.”

Workshop topics will include:

• Drainage design fundamentals such as important soil properties, drainage coefficient, outlet considerations, layout and pipe sizing
• Drainage design tools
• Review of the design of an example tile project
• Tile drainage lift station concepts and design
• Agronomic and conservation drainage concepts
• A team design project

“Crops do not like saturated conditions,” says Hans Kandel, NDSU Extension agronomist and workshop co-organizer. “Having the field tiled, with the option to control the water table, will give farmers options to reduce production risk due to excess water.”

The registration deadline for the workshop is March 24. The fee is $100 and includes lunch, course materials, refreshments and a parking pass. The workshop is limited to 44 participants, so on-site registration will not be available on the day of the event.

Register online at http://bit.ly/2Df1JsR.

NDSU Agriculture Communication - March 9, 2018