Water Management for Production and the Environment
Gary Sands,
Associate Professor and Extension Engineer
Jerry Wright, Associate Professor and Extension Engineer,
West Central Research and Outreach Center, Morris, MN
Hans Kandel, Extension Educator, Crookston
Craig Schrader, Extension Educator, Mankato
University of Minnesota Extension Educators
Larry Brown, Extension Engineer, The Ohio State University
Matthew Helmers, Assistant Professor, Agricultural and Biosystems
Engineering, Iowa State University
Jane Frankenburger, Associate Professor, Agricultural and
Biological Engineering, Purdue University
Richard Cooke, Associate Professor, Agricultural and Biological
Engineering, University of Illinois
Thomas Scherer, Extension Engineer, North Dakota State University
Minnesota Department of Agriculture
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Industry Partners
Objectives
- Increase the general level of understanding with
regard to the science of drainage and 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.
Need or Impact
Designers and installers of drainage systems in
Minnesota need opportunities to refine their design skills.
In northwestern
Minnesota, where subsurface drainage is a relatively new practice,
farmers and other stakeholders are interested in learning
more about the feasibility of subsurface drainage and the important
technical concerns. In southern Minnesota where subsurface
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 water 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.
Status
Ongoing.
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