Transforming Drainage:Managing Water for Tomorrow’s Agriculture

Chris HayIowa Soybean Association

Managing Water for Increased Resiliency of Drained Agricultural Landscapes

The project covers 10 states

Issue 1: Nutrient loss from tile drainage is causing issues of national concern

Photo: Dan Jaynes

Issue 2: Despite excess water in spring, yields are often limited by lack of water in late summer

Photo: Jane Shotaku

Both issues are expected to worsen with current climate trends

Photo: Jane ShotakuPhoto: USB

Retaining drained water at the farm and field level addresses

both these issues

Photo: Dan Jaynes

Long term vision:

The process of designing and implementing ag drainage will be

transformed to include water retention and even water recycling

Photo: USDA NRCS

Where can we store water in landscapes like this?

Photo: Dan Jaynes

Drainage water storage can be stored:

We can store water in the field

Photo: TransformingDrainage.org

Controlled drainage

We can store water at the edge of the field

Saturated buffers

We can store water in ponds or reservoirs

Photo: TransformingDrainage.org

Drainage water recycling: traditional irrigation

Drainage water recycling: subirrigation

There are few examples of drainage water recycling

Photo: TransformingDrainage.org

And little published research on drainage water recycling

Graphic: USDA ARS

Storing water in the soil: soil health initiatives emphasize water holding capacity

Photo: USDA NRCS

Storing water in ditches: two-stage ditches

Graphic: Christianson et al. (2016)

Project goals are to convert research results into usable tools and information

Strengthen and Broaden the Network (Researchers, Industry, Contractors, Agencies)

Research sites are a mix of new, existing, and historical

Each site has a site summary

Site data are stored in database building on the Corn Systems Coordinated Ag Project

The database now holds 186 site-years of data from

historic and current drainage projects

Example: 5 years of Nitrate-N at DPAC under free and controlled drainage

Example: Reduction of nitrate loss due to controlled drainage

Next step: Synthesis across sites

Indiana

Ohio

Iowa

Example: drain flow across three sites

Modeling will allow us to extend the results across space and time

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Decision support tools will assist end users in implementing practices

“If we’re going to transform drainage, we need partners”

Norm Fausey, USDA-ARSKevin King, USDA-ARSBarry Allred, USDA-ARSJeppe Kjaersgaard, MN Dept. Ag.Thomas Scherer, North Dakota StateGary Sands, U of MNKen Kraemer, U of MNRichard Cooke, U of ILMark Tomer, USDA-ARSChris Hay, Iowa Soybean Association

The project has a process for adding formal collaborators

Bob Clark, Clark Farm Drainage; Land Improvement Contractors of America (LICA)

Brian Hicks, Farmer and research collaborator

Charlie Schafer, Agricultural Drainage Management Coalition

Dave De Geus, The Nature Conservancy

Jim Gulliford, Soil and Water Conservation Society

Dr. Wayne Skaggs, North Carolina State University

Alex Echols,EcosystemServices Exchange; Sand County Fdn

Dr. Jerry Hatfield,Midwest Climate Hub, ARS National Lab for Ag & Env

Dr. Gwen White, U.S. Fish and Wildlife LCC

Katie FlahiveUSEPA Office of Water

Rob Sampson, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

The advisory committee represents diverse and influential stakeholders

The expanding network includes influential drainage groups

Ag Drainage Management Systems Task Force

Ag Drainage Management Coalition

NCERA-217 Multi-state research and extension activity

Led the 10th International Drainage Symposium (Minneapolis, 2016) with record-participation from 10 countries

The vision: Transforming Drainage

The process of designing and implementing agricultural drainage will be transformed to include water retention

and even water recycling.

Photo: Dan Jaynes

In summary:• Retaining water addresses

water quality and production goals

• Project is researching three practices for water retention

• Tools and information from the project will aid implementation

Questions?