August 24, 2004

Purdue field day digs into drainage tiles

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue University and the Indiana Land Improvement Contractors Association will sponsor a field day about field drainage on Sept. 24-25 at the Davis Purdue Ag Center, located 14 miles east of Muncie near Farmland, Ind.

The field day runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Lunch is available for a fee.

"Good drainage is vital to crop production," said Jane Frankenberger, Purdue Extension ag engineer. "Much of Indiana's best cropland depends on tile drainage for high yields."

During the field day members of the land improvement association will install a new drainage system on a 40-acre field. The system includes four drainage control structures that keep water in the field when it doesn't need to be drained.

"If you've ever seen a tile line running in June and wished you had a way to save some of that water for July or August, this practice may interest you," Frankenberger said. "The practice has a potential for positive impact on crop yields because it holds water in the field so that it's available for crops later in the season."

Purdue researchers will use the field to study the effects of the practice on water and soil quality and crop yields.

"Drainage water management can reduce negative water quality impacts of drainage while maintaining or increasing crop yields," Frankenberger said. "The water quality impacts are really the reason that we're working so hard on this."

She said this field day is an opportunity for farmers, contractors and others to see how tile drainage is installed and how to improve it.

In addition to the new drainage management technology, the latest techniques in drainage design and installation and high-tech mapping are slated for demonstration. Field tours run every 30 minutes from 9-11 a.m. Tour topics are:

• Drainage management and its benefits

• On-site drainage management research.

• Global positioning system elevation mapping for drainage system design and installation.

• USDA cost-share options for drainage water management.

Writer: Kay Hagen, (765) 494-6682, kjh@purdue.edu

Source: Jane Frankenberger, (765) 494-1194, frankenb@purdue.edu

Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722; Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu
Agriculture News Page

Related Web sites:
Purdue Ag Centers

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