For 200 miles, the Wabash River forms the border between Illinois and Indiana as it meanders south to the Ohio River.

On the Illinois side, lawmakers are scrambling to pass a bill that would protect wetlands from development and pollution, in order to safeguard water quality and limit flooding. But in Indiana, state policymakers hastily passed a law earlier this year to roll back wetlands regulations, at the urging of developers and farm groups who said such rules were overly burdensome.

Focusing on continually improving their fourth-generation farm, Kellie and A.J. Blair added a center pivot to one of their Iowa operations last year. But rather than a traditional setup, the couple installed a drainage water recycling (DWR) system to help them better use excess rainfall from the spring to water crops during the dry summer. 

To keep water clean, we need to know how much phosphorus is coming from different places, like runoff. Right now, we're not paying enough attention to how erosion along streams adds phosphorus to the water. This means we might think farms are polluting more than they really are, and we're not focusing on fixing this extra source of phosphorus.

Adoption of edge-of-field conservation practices, such as denitrifying bioreactors, may be intrinsically linked to barriers associated with cost. However, most previous bioreactor cost efficiency assessments assumed values for either costs and/or nitrate removal. 

Soil health alone will not achieve our water quality goal. Nutrient management is a good start, but it's best when combined with water management to achieve our water quality goal.

While some are experiencing too much water, some don’t have enough. Has drainage water recycling advanced enough to become a game-changer?

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has announced the availability of an historic $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2024 to invest in partner-driven conservation and climate solutions through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). The NRCS is accepting project proposals now through July 2, 2024.

The USDA is accepting applications for grants to support urban agriculture & innovative production. Applications for USDA’s Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production grants are due April 9, 2024.

“This grant program has proven very popular and impactful in recent years, and we look forward to partnering with more communities nationwide to strengthen local food systems and increase access to healthy foods,”

In conjunction with the celebration of National Women in Construction Week and International Women's Day, John Deere Construction & Forestry announces its $125,000 sponsorship of the "Women at Work: Breaking Barriers" docuseries by non-profit organization.

Produced by Jennifer Todd, President of LMS General Contractors​ and founder of A Greener Tomorrow, the series aims to inspire the next generation of tradeswomen and support the current workforce of women in construction.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will invest about $138 million of financial assistance from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act—the largest climate investment in history—in 138 new climate-smart conservation easements, through which farmers and ranchers are conserving wetlands, grasslands and prime farmlands. 

Illinois EPA Director John J. Kim today announced a total of $4.75 million in funding through the release of two Section 319(h) Grant Program Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to address nonpoint source pollution. Illinois EPA is seeking proposals for watershed-based planning projects and watershed-based plan implementation projects to prevent, eliminate, or reduce water quality impairments to Illinois’ surface and groundwater resources.

Even in construction deepfakes are a very real, very costly issue. The result of a fake video or image could be lost income, employees walking off the job or even an indefinite halt to the entire project. Getting out in front of the deepfake as soon as you can is the key to saving not only your company's reputation but the bottom line.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the launch of a new Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) conservation effort – the Northern Bobwhite Pilot Project, which offers agricultural producers and landowners the tools to conserve wildlife habitat for northern bobwhite quail by improving East-Central grasslands while achieving other critical conservation benefits, including sequestering carbon and improving water quality and soil health.  

Subsurface drainage is a must for many growers who need to remove excess water from their lands in order to ensure suitable crop growth conditions.

In some cases, however, subsurface drainage can lead to serious problems. In the U.S. Midwest, for instance, some drainage practices provide a pathway for nitrogen and phosphorus loss into waterways, which can create environmental problems as far away as the Gulf of Mexico.

Subsurface tile drainage is concentrated in the corn belt (Figure 1). It accounts for a considerable portion of the cropland harvested in the Midwest, especially in states that are dominated by rain-fed agriculture and have poorly drained soils that require drainage (Figure 2). These states have some of the world’s most fertile soils that require subsurface drainage for crop production.

The USDA has launched the Working Lands Climate Corps initiative to train the next generation of conservation and climate leaders.

As part of the American Climate Corps initiative, the Working Lands Climate Corps will provide technical training and career pathway opportunities for young people, helping them deliver economic benefits through climate-smart agriculture solutions for farmers and ranchers. The Working Lands Climate Corps, in its first cohort, will aim to create service opportunities for more than 100 young people.

State Conservationist Tammy Willis announced that the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will offer Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) funding for the Precision Conservation Management in several counties in Illinois. Illinois NRCS has partnered with the Illinois Corn Growers Association to help producers address sheet and rill erosion on farm ground in the project area.

Fiscal year 2023 was truly groundbreaking. The dedicated team at USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) along with our conservation partners successfully implemented conservation practices on America’s working lands while rolling out the largest conservation funding opportunity the agency has ever received through the Inflation Reduction Act, part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.

State Conservationist Tammy Willis announced that the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will offer Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) funding for the Working Lands, Water and Wildlife Partnership for select counties throughout Illinois. Illinois NRCS has partnered with The Conservation Fund to help producers address resource concerns, through the planning and implementation of cover crops.

NRCS State Conservationist, Tammy Willis announced funding is now available for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program – Agricultural Land Easements (ACEP-ALE). The program provides an opportunity for landowners to place land into an easement while continuing to produce an agricultural commodity. 

The Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee says March is still a possibility for a new Farm Bill; however, there are no guarantees.

Glenn GT Thompson told Brownfield Ag News the month of March would be the first time the House would have enough time to work on the new Farm Bill, but the markup and voting process takes at least three weeks.

Woods, with more than 30 years of community organizing, education, and government experience is an accomplished and visionary leader, and brings a wealth of experience to AISWCD. With a proven track record of driving growth and innovation in the agricultural industry through conservation and education, Woods is poised to lead AISWCD into a new era of inspiration and service.

The first annual North American Drainage Conference will take place virtually on March 5.

For $20 USD, contractors, landowners and all those interested in drainage and water management can tune in for half a day of engaging educational content focused on tech, tools and the future of drainage.

Session speakers, titles and descriptions have now been announced. Our speakers include, but are not limited to:

Adoption of edge-of-field conservation practices, such as denitrifying bioreactors, may be intrinsically linked to barriers associated with cost. However, most previous bioreactor cost efficiency assessments assumed values for either costs and/or nitrate removal. The objective of this work was to use actual construction costs as well as monitored nitrate removal to develop empirical cost efficiencies for eight full-size bioreactors in Illinois, USA.

Springfield Plastics, Inc. has donated more than $850,000 to Simmons Cancer Institute at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield, Illinois, and John Stoddard Cancer Center of UnityPoint Health in Des Moines, Iowa, over the past 10 years through its Drain for the Cure fundraiser.

The February issue of Ohio’s Country Journal featured an article by Greg LaBarge on “What is drainage water recycling?” (https://ocj.com/2023/02/what-is-drainage-water-recycling/). I decided to continue this conversation, especially for those who may have started wondering what it would take to implement drainage water recycling (DWR) and irrigation for field crops. Let’s try and address some additional questions on DWR. 

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson said Thursday that he now hopes to move a new farm bill by March. Meanwhile, his staff has started briefing farm organizations and other groups this week on possible sources of funding that face resistance from Democrats.

“When I look at the calendar in the first quarter, the first month we get to that has the contiguous weeks that we need is March,” Thompson told reporters Thursday.

Water conservation is all about taking good care of our precious water supply. Water is vital for all life on Earth, including plants and animals, and it plays a crucial role in farming and keeping our crops healthy.

But, let’s be honest, water isn’t exactly cheap. It might not seem like a big deal when you’re using a little here and there, but trust us, it can really put a dent in your wallet, especially during those scorching summer months.

Skilled trades and the tradespeople responsible for this work have long been an important part of our society — responsible for building, repairing and maintaining many facets of our everyday life. However, over the years, fewer people are entering these professions.

Drainage water management has previously focused on just getting water off the landscape.

The focus has now changed to managing water and treating it as a resource to benefit crop yields and reduce the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus that flow into surface waters.

The Iowa Nutrient Research Center at Iowa State University is releasing highlights of recent activity summarizing benefits to the state of Iowa from investments in nutrient research.

“INRC-funded research provides Iowa-relevant science to enable informed decisions and priority setting for the benefit of farmers, agencies and organizations that work in the arena of land-use and water quality,” said Daniel J. Robison, holder of the endowed dean’s chair in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State, and a representative on the INRC Advisory Council. 

The massive ongoing effort to reduce nutrient runoff across multiple states in the Mississippi River basin is beginning to pay off, according to a new EPA report to Congress on the work of the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force.

The 2023 Biennial Report, its executive summary, and appendices are now available on the Illinois EPA website at go.illinois.edu/NLRS. 

A media release announcing the report was posted to the Illinois EPA website and Illinois.gov news website and sent to the Illinois EPA's media lists. Illinois legislators also received the report, along with a letter highlighting key points from each sector.

Purple Wave Auction is happy to announce that Zack Witvoet has joined our team as a territory manager.

Purple Wave Auction, headquartered in Manhattan, Kan., is a leader in online, no-reserve equipment auctions serving ag, construction, government, and fleet industries, providing opportunities for customers to buy and sell used equipment with confidence.

Continuing its commitment to the safety and wellbeing of the construction industry, John Deere announced that it is committed to matching donations, up to a total of $100,000, made to the Construction Angels nonprofit organization from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, 2023.

Despite signing a 2021 settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor that included a promise to protect its employees from potentially deadly trenching and excavation hazards, a Minnesota construction contractor was again found endangering employees in June 2023 as they replaced a residential water main and 20 separate curb stop valves for house connections in Minot. 

In the climate of increasing environmental concerns and shifting policies, ADMC has continued to play a pivotal role in promoting sustainable and responsible drainage practices. With a membership base that is both engaged and growing, we have made significant strides in advocating for innovative solutions that balance the needs of agriculture with broader environmental stewardship.

The first Drainage Innovation Webinar of this season is just around the corner.

This year’s webinars will focus on identifying common issues with drainage systems, drainage effects on soil health, and advances in automation for controlled drainage and drainage water recycling. 

New to the webinars this year is the availability of continuing education credits through Certified Crop Advisors. Viewers can earn 0.5 credits in soil and water management per webinar, or 1.5 total.

Register today for all three webinars.

Save the date for the 2024 Overholt Drainage School, which will be held from Monday, March 11 – Thursday, March 14 at the Controlled Environment Agriculture Research Complex, 2510 Carmack Road, Columbus, OH 43210.

Minnesota has spent hundreds of millions of dollars and decades of effort to reduce nitrate that's contaminating drinking water and rivers. The progress so far: negligible.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration today signed an agreement with the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators and the NCCCO Foundation to protect workers who operate cranes better.

The two-year agreement will provide certified crane operators with training and resources to reduce and prevent exposure to the four construction workplace issues that contribute to the majority of hazards in the industry: falls, caught-in or between objects or machinery, struck-by objects or equipment, and electrocution.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced improvements to the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) as well as an unprecedented $1 billion investment to advance partner-driven solutions to conservation on agricultural land through 81 projects. Four Illinois projects will receive $42.7 million in funding.

The Associated General Contractors of America filed suit today in federal court to block the Biden Administration’s unlawful effort to expand the reach of a decades-old law that governs wage rates on federally funded construction projects. 

A stopgap government funding bill that includes a one-year extension of the 2018 farm bill easily passed the GOP-controlled House Tuesday after Democrats more than made up for the desertion of hardline GOP conservatives who were unhappy the legislation includes no spending cuts. The Senate approved a similar bill Wednesday night.

Nick Yaksich, National LICA’s Director of Government Relations, joined other industry stakeholders in a briefing conducted by NRCS Chief Terry Cosby and his staff. The Chief opened with the NRCS’ accomplishments from FY 2023 and expressed optimism for FY 2024.

In this episode of the Nutrient Management Podcast, we’re talking about edge of field N and P reduction strategies. What is an edge of field practice and why are they used? What specific practices do our panelists have experience with, and which have the most potential for use in Minnesota?

AEM's new report, Benefits of Construction Technologies and their Impact on Society, details how four key innovations are helping construction sites become safer and more productive, while also reducing their environmental footprint.

One of those technologies, machine control, is changing the way earthmoving and paving tasks are completed. 

If you practice controlled drainage during the growing season, do you think that controlled drainage helped your crop yields in 2023? It may be too early to answer this question, as many of you are still waiting to finish harvest. But if you are wondering about the role that controlled drainage played this year, I will give you a few tips on how to answer this question.

On fields, fertilizer components like nitrogen and phosphorus help to spur crop growth. But as water runs off farmland, it carries leftover nutrients downstream, where it can contribute to major environmental problems. Excess nitrogen can threaten safe drinking water.

ISAP has published a new resource for Illinois farmers and farm advisors that clearly communicates the role of soil health practices in addressing agronomic challenges and resource concerns.
ISAP’s “Introduction to Soil Health Practices” identifies and explains the cause of several conditions that often lead to common resource or agronomic concerns for farmers, including erosion, compaction, weed pressure, and nutrient loss.

The substantial contribution of event flows to P loss during the non-growing season calls for a system of stacked practices to reduce P loss from both surface runoff and drainage discharge. Generally, there are four strategies to address both water quality and crop production needs:

Attention Illinois Farmers! The annual Conservation Cropping Seminar will be taking place January 31, 2024 with both virtual and in-person options. The event will be held from 9am-3:30pm with the in-person attendees meeting at the Illinois Department of Ag Building in Springfield, IL. 

The USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Illinois State Conservationist Tammy Willis announced a new statewide funding opportunity for Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The new EQIP-IRA ranking pool will offer five management practices to include conservation crop rotation, cover crop, no-till, reduced tillage, and nutrient management. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is making historic investments to the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) and streamlining the program to make it work better for producers and partners. This combination will deliver conservation at a scale never before achieved through RCPP.

Lincoln Land Community College (LLCC) in Springfield, Ill., announced Oct. 17 it has received a major gift from Roland Machinery Co. (RMC), also of Springfield, and has named its new Diesel Technologies Lab in honor of the Roland family.

The two employees were attempting to remove soil from below a concrete slab located within a trench when the slab broke apart and collapsed, fatally crushing both workers. U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors found that Triumph Construction failed to:

• Support the concrete slab, exposing both employees to the danger of a collapse.

• Instruct employees on safe methods to remove the slab and provide supervision to ensure those methods were followed.

• Construct the excavation's protective system based on designs in accordance with OSHA standards.

As you should be aware, there has been a rush of legislative and administrative changes throwing old employment practices into disarray; changing precedent, instituting new standards for classic employment benefits and rights, and redefining the responsibilities and duties of employers to their employees. We have seen this arrive on the federal and state level, so the reach of these changes cannot be underestimated.

On March 13, 2023, the Paid Leave for All Workers Act was signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker to take effect on January 1, 2024.

What employers are covered under the new law?  Private and public employers with at least one employee. Also includes State of Illinois, local governments, and political subdivision employers.

In September, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released two joint coordination memorandums on jurisdictional determinations 1) under the 2023 waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule (as amended in September) and 2) under the “pre-2015 regulatory regime” that is in effect in the 27 states where the Biden Administration’s rule is on hold. 

For farmers who face wet fields that limit their productivity, drain tile can be a savior. But it comes with a hefty price tag. Beyond the financial cost, some farmers face a moral dilemma: Water moved from the tile system must go somewhere.

Researchers at Michigan State University Extension have been pondering a crucial question for a while: How can we achieve our objective of minimizing phosphorus (P) runoff into Lake Erie? Understanding the timing of P loss is instrumental in shaping our decision-making process.

Subsurface drainage is a must for many growers who need to remove excess water from their lands in order to ensure suitable crop growth conditions.

In some cases, however, subsurface drainage can lead to serious problems. In the U.S. Midwest, for instance, some drainage practices provide a pathway for nitrogen and phosphorus loss into waterways, which can create environmental problems as far away as the Gulf of Mexico.

As more research goes into drainage water recycling systems, a new report from the Transforming Drainage project shows that drainage water recycling systems not only provide a benefit to the environment, but can also improve corn yields.

As most kids know, a big pile of mud can be a load of fun.

But not for farmers. Muddy fields mean too much water. And too much water means crops might not grow well.

Farmers often install underground drains, called tile drains, in waterlogged soils to help move the excess water away quickly. The drier soils are beneficial to their crops.

But there is one potential downside: nitrogen.

The Soil Health Institute and National Association of Conservation Districts announced the results of a nationwide study that demonstrates how improving soil health can help farmers build resilience and improve profitability across a diversity of soil types, geographies, and cropping systems.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says he’s fairly confident that Congress will succeed in either passing an extension to the 2018 farm bill or finish up work on a new one by the end of the year in order to avoid severe repercussions of doing nothing.

The consequence of doing nothing would be the automatic onset of so-called “permanent” farm bill provisions created in 1938 and 1949 that are idled every time a new farm bill is enacted. The 2018 farm bill technically expired on Sept. 30, but it’s not until 2024 that farm commodity and dairy support programs are superseded by permanent law.

Limited floor time for debate and bill consideration is a common rationale for Congress not to consider must pass bills like the appropriations and farm bills. The unexpected leadership battle in the House – hopefully resolved by the time you are reading this – has delayed the House from formally meeting. Now the tragic war in the Middle East will push other issues to the back burner as the Administration and the Congress determine the best response.

NRCS State Conservationist, Tammy Willis announced funding is now available for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program – Agriculture Land Easements (ACEP-ALE). The program provides an opportunity for landowners to place land into an easement while continuing to produce an agricultural commodity. 

Tammy Willis, State Conservationist, announced the first application cutoff period for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Agricultural Conservation Easement Program - Wetland Reserve Easements (ACEP-WRE) of December 1, 2023. The purpose of the Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE) program is to help landowners to restore, enhance and protect habitat for wetland wildlife on cropland and adjacent acres.

The Land Improvement Contractors of America is honored to be part of Drainage Contractor’s  50-year anniversary. Drainage is the foundation upon which LICA was built.

In 1938 a group of terrace contractors in Missouri got together to form the Missouri Terracing and Conservation Contractors Association. In 1948 the Michigan Farm Trenchers Association was formed. Contractors in Iowa and Minnesota in 1949 formed the Midwest Drainage and Soil Conservation Contractor Association, and in 1952 the Kansas Conservation Contractor Association was formed. 

​USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Illinois will be holding a final sign-up period for the Floodplain Easement component of the Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWPP-FPE).  Landowners impacted by flooding from the breach of the Len Small Levee in 2016 and subsequent flooding from additional years are encouraged to apply.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is making more than $3 billion in funding available for agricultural producers and forest landowners nationwide to participate in voluntary conservation programs and adopt climate-smart practices in fiscal year 2024 as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. The announcement comes as the Biden-Harris Administration hosts the first-ever White House Climate Resilience Summit.  

Springfield Plastics is kicking off its 10th Drain for the Cure fundraiser. The fundraiser supports cancer research, prevention, and treatment at Simmons Cancer Institute at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield, Illinois, and John Stoddard Cancer Center at UnityPoint Health in Des Moines, Iowa.            

The long-term impact of agricultural drainage on water quality can be mitigated with properly designed improved drainage systems. Using a nutrient treatment train technique, ISG is providing additional water storage, nutrient reduction, velocity reduction, protection against streambank erosion, and overall water quality improvements to Fairmont’s Chain of Lakes.

Bioreactors, an emerging edge-of-field practice, are becoming more prominent in agricultural settings. Dr. Reid Christianson, former research assistant professor of Crop Sciences at University of Illinois, and Dr. Bryan Maxwell, a visiting assistant research scientist at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, explain how bioreactors work and the steps towards getting one installed.

Prairie strips are notably not a very well-known conservation practice, despite their many benefits. Prairie strips are a conservation practice that uses strategically placed native prairie planting in agricultural fields.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $70 million in partnerships that will improve outreach to underserved producers and communities to expand access to conservation assistance, including programs funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, as well as career opportunities. 

Agri Drain Corporation and Ecosystems Services Exchange (ESE) founder and leader Charlie Schafer has been named the winner of the 2023 Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance (IAWA) Private Impact Award, which will be presented at the Iowa Water Conference next week in Altoona.

The ISAP team is accepting conservation drainage practice site recommendations via an online form through Friday October 13th. The team is especially interested in opportunities to install practices to treat areas larger than 50 acres or to treat multiple tile outlets, projects that integrate conservation drainage practices into new tile designs, and projects that leverage resources from USDA programs such as CRP or EQIP. 

A hot topic in soil health and nutrient loss over the last few years has been Dissolved Reactive Phosphorus (DRP), a form of phosphorus that is dissolved and readily available to plants and algae. DRP differs from the phosphorus loss we usually hear about, which is tied to soil particles, also known as Particulate Phosphorus (PP). 

Mastenbroek in partnership with Port Industries recently unveiled its first-ever utility trencher designed specifically for the North American market. Port Industries provide full aftermarket parts, sales and service to support the dealer groups offering the Mastenbroek line of products in North America.

Now’s the time to be thinking about adding an environmentally friendly practice to your operation.  There are quite a few out there and we learn about one that comes with 100% cost share. Saturated Buffers were on display at a Practical Farmers of Iowa Field Day during their Summer Series of over 40 different farms across the Midwest.

BigIron, a leading name in the online auction industry, has made the first corporate donation to the LICA Educational Foundation for Veterans, marking a significant milestone for the Foundation’s mission of supporting veterans in their transition to new careers in heavy equipment operation. 

y the time they were over, a series of massive algal blooms along the west coast of Florida in 2020 would be linked to some 2,000 tons of dead marine life around Tampa Bay. The human costs were stark, too, including a double-digit increase in asthma cases in Sarasota and Pinellas counties, and estimated losses of around $1 billion across economic sectors from tourism to fisheries.

Nutrient and soil loss from agricultural areas impairs surface water quality globally.In the Great Lakes region, increases in the frequency and magnitude of harmful andnuisance algal blooms in freshwater lakes have been linked to elevated phosphorus(P) losses from agricultural fields, some of which are transported via tile drainage.

UFG Insurance strives to uphold its policyholder promise to ensure businesses are financially prepared to overcome losses with its trustworthy insurance protection. The carrier is proud to have fulfilled this important promise for the members of the State LICA Insurance Program last year.

The quarterly briefing by NRCS Chief Cosby occurred this week. Below are the highlights on the staff presentation regarding climate change programs, a key priority for USDA.

Climate Smart Practice Update Notes – Dana Ashford-Kornburger.

Thank you all for the continued input and feedback on activities that provide mitigation benefits. Especially those stakeholders that have provided scientific literature and/or participated in State Technical Committees at the state level. Many states are building out Climate Change subcommittees of their State Technical Committees, so this is a great place to give input for state initiatives and provide feedback.

Pursuant to a May 25 U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) ruling, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Aug. 29 revised its Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule defining what constitutes a protected waterway under the Clean Water Act (CWA). Despite directives from the Court, the new rule makes only marginal improvements to EPA’s previous version, which took effect March 20.

“In the Midwest, farmers often have to deal with both too much and too little rain in the same season,” says Chris Hay, Ph.D., senior research scientist with the Iowa Soybean Association. “Trends of more rain in bigger events in the spring and longer, more frequent periods of drought in the summer are expected to continue.”

Tile drainage improves yields on most installations by reducing moisture from fields. Herein, we present a methodology for determining the yearly break-even benefit required to cover the installation investment in tile. This methodology is based on the payment function in Microsoft Excel. For example, a $1,000 per acre installation investment requires a yearly break-even benefit of $81.74 per acre, given an 8% interest rate and a 50-year life. 

The increasing role of private agronomists and crop advisers in helping farmers with conservation practices and tapping into USDA programs was highlighted this week at the Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) meeting in Des Moines.

Roger Wolf, director of conservation for the Iowa Soybean Association, said the private sector is going to have to take on a greater role in providing farmers with technical assistance for conservation practices.

Results published in the journal Environmental Research Letters revealed that establishing a winter rye cover crop between corn-soybean rotations reduced nitrate levels in drainage water by over 45% compared to fields without rye. This reduction in nitrate loads entering the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi River basin can help improve water quality and reduce the size of the hypoxic “dead zone” in coastal waters.

Agricultural drainage is essential to the success of irrigated agriculture because it prevents ponding, waterlogging, and salt. This Paper presents a systematic method for identifying, assessing, and mitigating the risks associated with poor agricultural drainage (PAD). Using Monte Carlo simulation within a risk management process, the cumulative impact of all conceivable PAD risks on agricultural productivity was examined.

Drainage water recycling (DWR) using drainage and subirrigation (DSI) has increased the resiliency of crop production and improved water quality in the midwestern United States, but the effects on soil properties and soil health parameters have not been determined.

Introduced to agriculture in the United States in 1838, the practice of tiling fields has become increasingly important as heavy rain events have occurred more frequently.  

The frequency of extreme, single-day precipitation events remained mostly steady between 1910 and the 1980s but has risen substantially since then, with climate change as a major contributor, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Bright yellow excavators dug up rich Sangamon County soil as more than 100 people arrived by hayrack to watch the cultivation of a cross-collaboration partnership.

The first Nutrient Stewardship field day of the summer, hosted at Pickrell Farms in rural Buffalo Thursday, demonstrated work being done with edge-of-field practices to help reduce nutrient runoff as part of the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy.