The third annual Agricultural Subsurface Drainage Forum’s topic is tile drainage or subsurface drainage that is being adopted in the Red River Valley basin and other parts of North Dakota by agricultural producers. The forum is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 2, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Memorial Union Century Theater. NDSU, the University of Minnesota Extension Services and 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, the relationship between rainfall and the water table, salinity and drainage, water quality and environmental implication of tile drainage.
“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 the tiled group 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 University of Minnesota Extension specialists and experienced practitioners.
Registration is requested before Jan. 28. The cost for those who register in advance is $30, which includes a parking pass, handouts, refreshments and lunch. Registration at the door is $40. The registration fee can be mailed to the NDSU Plant Sciences Department, attention Lisa Johnson, NDSU Dept. 7670, P.O. Box 6050, Fargo, ND 58108-6050. The agenda and a registration form are available at www.ag.ndsu.edu/broadleaf.
