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Consider having more control over drainage systems

A University of Wisconsin researcher says farmers should consider controlling how much water their drainage systems let out of the fields. 

Steven Hall tells Brownfield many farmers use drain tile systems to remove excess water from fields, but many could be gaining additional benefits by having a control gate at the outlet. “You can put a gate in there where if conditions are dry, you can raise the gate to hold water back, and when it’s wet, you can take the gates out and let it flow.”

Hall says in the 2024 growing season, the spring wetness led to extremely dry conditions in late summer and fall, and having a control gate would have helped keep some of that moisture in the field. “There’s even now, automated systems where you can control it on your cellphone. You don’t even have to go and move it. It’s a little more expensive, but it can allow you to respond more rapidly.”

Hall says farmers that have very old drainage systems and high nutrient levels in their runoff water should consider replacing old drain tile. “There’s actually lower disolved phosphorus in modern corregated plastic tile than in our old clay and concrete tile. That’s because there’s simply less sediment that gets into our modern tile systems.”

Hall spoke to Brownfield during the Badger Crops and Soils Update meeting hosted by the University of Wisconsin and Extension in Eau Claire, Wisconsin,