tile drainage field day

Don’t wait around for right answers, you can start today.

Tile drainage field day

Natalie RectorMichigan State University Extension-retiredrector@msu.edu

Opportunity knocked Right place at the right time

Golden opportunity Is the farmer nuts? Opening a can of

worms, location in state. I really want to retire rather than do this

Combination of Tile drainage

installation Fun stuff- kickin tires 5 vendors, on site

Mains Laterals GPS

Design and installations

Managing manure liquids on drained lands. Preventative and remediation:

Look at systems/goals Cover crops Slurry seeding Rate/calibration Tillage Water control devices Sub-irrigation Bio-reactor General Management Multiple applications Etc.

OPTIONS

Joint partnership Land Improvement Contractors

Organization Farmer’s Field Extension-Educational component Local and state support from agri-

business

Logistics Picked a wheat field, planned tour after

harvest, August 2012 Goal: end of two days, 80 acres would

be drained.

Prevention

Calibration and rates, especially liquids on drainage

Photo by MSU ANR Communications

Slurry Seeding: adding cover crop seed directly into the manure tank and seeding while spreading manure with a low disturbance tillage tool.

Slurry seeding

Tillage

Varying degrees of tillage Salford, John Deere, Landoll and

Kuhn-Kraus Soil type interaction Goal of tillage

Liquid manure? Residue management? Break macro pores

Water Control Device

Photo by MSU ANR Communications

Constructed Bio-Reactor

Total Contained system:

sub irrigate and capture

back from tiles

West Sub-irrigation

East subirrigation

Waste storage (Manure)

Waste Storage (leachate runoff)

3 chambered wetland

General management Farmer Panel Larry Geohring, Cornell Larry Brown, Ohio State University Richard Cooke, University of Illinois Tim Harrigan, Michigan State Universiy

Can you think of a more dynamic system than the interaction of soil types, soil moistures and weather?

Begin today for Awareness Use common sense Adjust as necessary to meet the daily

needs