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Performance and Feasibility of Subsurface Drainage in Northwestern Minnesota
Performance and Feasibility of Subsurface Drainage in Northwestern Minnesota
Gary R. Sands, Minnesota Extension Engineer
Throughout the 1990s excess water has significantly impacted crop production in northwestern Minnesota. This was particularly evident in 1999 when 683,000 acres were not planted and an additional 239,000 acres were planted but not harvested due to excess water. These unplanted and unharvested acres represented approximately 25% of the total crop acres in the 11-county region and approximately $193 million in lost production. In addition, excess water caused large yield losses on acres that were harvested. In the nineties, the wettest decade on record, yields of major crops were 20-30% below attainable yields, due, in part, to excess water.
Surface drainage is a very important component of a successful water management system. Studies in the Midwest and elsewhere have shown that surface drainage that is combined with subsurface (tile) drainage can be an even more effective water management practice. Subsurface drainage can help to establish more optimum conditions for field operations and crop growth by lowering perched watertables. Although subsurface drainage is a very popular water management practice in southern Minnesota, there has been very little installation in small grain growing regions of Minnesota or the Dakotas. Anecdotal evidence from northwest Minnesota farmers who have subsurface drainage suggests that there are real benefits to be gained from this practice, but flat topography, tight soils and a historical surface drainage culture still limit its widespread appeal. The question many farmers need answered is whether subsurface drainage represents a profitable investment. Producers also lack regional, research-based data on crop response to subsurface drainage. Although much drainage research has been conducted in other parts of the country, it is critical that drainage performance is assessed locally, to take into account the unique climate, soils, and landscapes of northwest Minnesota.
The University of Minnesota has established two 8-acre research and demonstration sites near Crookston and Brooks, Minnesota, to investigate the hydrology, water quality, and crop response of wheat, soybeans, and sugarbeets to various drainage spacings, as compared to an undrained condition. The drain spacings will correspond to three different daily water removal rates. Fields will be planted in a direction perpendicular to the drains. Shallow watertable wells will be established in each plot for automated monitoring of watertable depths to four feet. Soil moisture and temperature will be measured automatically at five different depths within each drain spacing zone and within the control plot. Soil moisture measurements will be used to compute water balances and estimate field trafficability during spring and fall field operations. Drainage flow will be measured with flumes on two of the three drain spacings. Rainfall simulation will be done on small plots to augment the data from natural precipitation. Flowrate, soil moisture, crop yield, and watertable depth will be used to calibrate a computer drainage model to simulate hydrology and crop response to drainage for a long-term climatic record. Community education on the various aspects of water management and drainage will also be provided through this project. An annual drainage field day is planned to demonstrate alternative water management and drainage practices at the test sites.
This project is being sponsored by the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station (Rapid Agricultural Response Fund), Wheat Research & Promotion Council, Field Drainage, Inc., PRINSCO., Inc., and the University of Minnesota Extension Service.
Minnesota precipitation departure from normal for the 1990s.