2002 Annual Report
Extension and Outreach
Agricultural Drainage
Gary Sands, Assistant Professor
and Extension Engineer
Jerry Wright, Associate Professor and Extension Engineer, West Central
Research and Outreach Center, Morris, MN
Lowell Busman, Extension Educator, Southern Research and Outreach Center,
Waseca, MN
Leonard Binstock, Minnesota Land Improvement Contractors
Zach Fore, Extension Cropping Systems Specialist-Northwest Minnesota
Hans Kandel, Extension Educator, Red Lake County
University of Minnesota Extension Educators
Minnesota West Community and Technical College, Canby, MN
Stu Melvin, Extension Engineer, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering,
Iowa State University
James Baker, Professor, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa
State University
Hal Werner, Extension Engineer, South Dakota State University
Tom Scherer, Extension Engineer, North Dakota State University
Larry Brown, Extension Engineer, The Ohio State University
Minnesota Department of Agriculture
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Industry Partners
Objective
There are tremendous needs and opportunities for extension/outreach programs
with regard to agricultural drainage in Minnesota. Designers and installers
of drainage systems in Minnesota need opportunities to refine their design
skills. Farmers have a variety of needs related to drainage, depending
on region of the state. In northwestern Minnesota, where subsurface drainage
is a relatively new practice, farmers and other stakeholders are interested
in learning more about the feasibility of tile drainage and the important
technical concerns. In southern Minnesota where tile drainage has a long
history, educational needs exist with respect to curbing nutrient losses
associated with drainage systems and more fully understanding the relationships
between economics and environmental quality. Throughout the state, agency
professionals, local water and watershed authorities, county administrators,
farmers, agricultural professionals, and the general public increasingly
demand educational programming on the science of drainage: why it is needed,
how it works, and how it influences both hydrology and water quality.
The extension programming activities presented below, comprising applied
research, demonstration, training, and publication, are conducted with
the following objectives.
- Increase the general level of understanding with regard to the science of drainage, its impact on hydrology and water quality.
- Develop knowledge and adoption of methods to incorporate environmental objectives, as well as agronomic objectives, in drainage design and management.
- Facilitate dissemination of relevant research results.
- Garner input and feedback from stakeholders with regard to needs for
future programming, leadership, and applied research to address agricultural
water management issues.
Program Description
An array of programming efforts have been undertaken to meet the program
objectives, including field days, workshops, applied research in several
regions of Minnesota, together with new drainage publications. The annual
three-day Farmland Drainage Workshop held in Marshall, Minnesota focused
on the design of drainage and associated water management systems and
provides a forum for updating a diverse group of stakeholders on current
issues, topics and research. This workshop has been successfully expanded
to a second location in northwestern Minnesota. A contractor certification
program is being developed jointly with Minnesota Land Improvement Contractors
Association to help ensure efficacy of drainage design and installation.
Several drainage field days in northwestern Minnesota provided information
on crop response to drainage and technical issues associated with design
and installation. An annual drainage forum held jointly with Iowa State
University was established as part of a memorandum of agreement for drainage
research and extension between the two institutions. Applied research
and demonstration projects in south central and northwest Minnesota have
been undertaken to address environmental and agronomic issues important
to all drainage stakeholders.
Outcomes
- Drainage workshops, field days, web site and forums drew over 1,000 individuals over the reporting period from several states and several countries including drainage contractors, farmers, extension educators, university researchers, agency representatives, and legal and financial professionals.
- Extension is continuing to partner with the Minnesota Land Improvement Contractors Association to develop educational programs for contractor certification. When fully implemented, these programs could potentially reach most of the drainage contractors in Minnesota.
- Drainage sections of a new small grains field handbook were developed (in press). These handbooks enjoy wide distribution within the producer community, increasing the exposure of this community to basic drainage concepts.
- A drainage publication series is being continued. The introductory publication of the series introduces the concept of agricultural drainage and presents the relevant issues surrounding the practice. Two additional publications in the series address the planning and design for drainage systems, and soil/water concepts related to drainage. More publications are in various stages of progress.