News

More An Art Than A Science

Terraced drainage (terraces) has long been recognized as an effective way to reduce runoff and soil erosion. Terraces block the downward flow at key intervals, which reduces surface water velocity and, thus, erosion. In its purest form, it has been used in Asia for as long as 2,300 years.

DOT DBE Program Implementation Uncertain

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) is the first state to ask the US DOT to waive its requirements for the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program since a court ruled the requirements are likely unconstitutional.

Federal Funding Battle Continues as October 1 Shutdown Deadline Approaches

Little progress has been made in the effort to come to an agreement on Fiscal Year 2026 funding. With little time left before the start of the Fiscal Year on October 1, the House and Senate are no closer to a compromise and are in recess all week. Before recessing, the House passed a GOP-drafted “clean” bill to extend government funding until Nov. 21 at current funding levels with no policy changes included.

Skinny Farm Bill Being Considered

A “skinny” farm bill is being considered to complete action on parts of the traditional Farm Bill that have not yet been addressed. The pared-down version of the traditional five-year farm bill, designed to address only the most urgent or unfinished agricultural priorities could be brought up this year.

McMaster Approved as Next FHWA Administrator

The U.S. Senate confirmed Sean McMaster as administrator of the Federal Highway Administration on September 18 in a 51 to 47 vote. McMaster – a former executive with the Boeing aerospace company and also a former vice president with infrastructure consulting firm HNTB – stressed in his hearing in May that safety would be his top priority at FHWA as he seeks to guide the agency in its mission to build and restore roads, bridges, and tunnels across the nation.

Rethinking Iowa’s Drainage: Building Resilience with Two-Stage Ditches

After a heavy rain, Iowa’s network of drainage ditches goes to work. Water infiltrates into the soil, flows to subsurface tile drains beneath farm fields and then into open ditches downstream. Together, this drainage network lowers water tables, maintains unsaturated soil conditions, and moves water efficiently after storms. It allows farmers to return to their fields more quickly while also carrying stormwater away from roads, culverts, and homes – potentially reducing local flooding risks.

Limiting Nitrate Loss with Successful Nutrient and Cover Crop Management

Nitrogen loss from agriculture is a primary source of water quality issues in Illinois and Midwestern states. Management considerations such as 4R Nutrient Stewardship and integrating cover crops can help reduce the potential for loss throughout the year. In addition to helping reduce nitrogen loss, effective integration of cover crops can also provide significant soil health and agronomic benefits.

Woodchip Bioreactor Helps Peoria Area Farmer Reduce Nitrogen Runoff

Although the 11-by-44-foot hole on Ethan Koehler’s farm could be mistaken for a swimming pool, it’s actually a woodchip bioreactor under construction.

The 5-foot-deep pit, showcased during the Marshall-Putnam Nutrient Stewardship Field Day Aug. 19, will soon begin capturing nitrogen from about 16 acres of tile-drained cropland in Marshall County.

Search Launched for Women’s Legacies

For generations, the women of the agricultural community/industry have shared their knowledge and commitment to their family farms, their rural communities and to their legacies, both prior generations and subsequent generations that will carry on their remarkable family legacy. Illinois Agri-Women are seeking these unique families of women, who find joy in the work they do and have committed their lives to agriculture for three or more generations.

Saturated Buffers: Proven Practice with New Surprises

A saturated buffer is a conservation drainage practice that targets nitrate in tile drainage discharge. A new Michigan State University study used a paired-field approach to compare a saturated buffer to a free drainage control field. This method allowed researchers to isolate the effects of subsurface buffer flow and controlled drainage, something previous studies couldn’t do.

Ninth Circuit Upholds Clean Water Act Exemption for Irrigated Agriculture

In a decision with major implications for Western agriculture, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the Clean Water Act exemption for irrigation return flows. The ruling in Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations v. Nickels affirms that discharges from irrigated agriculture are exempt from federal permitting requirements so long as they do not include additional point source discharges unrelated to crop production.

Conservation Practices in 2025 Scenarios: Implications for Future US Agricultural Policy

Nearly 25 years ago, the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation published an article explaining three alternative scenarios for Iowa Corn Belt landscapes in the United States in 2025—each driven by distinctly different agricultural policy emphases (Nassauer, Corry, and Cruse Citation2002). It is timely to revisit this work now when conservation funding through 2031, along with several other aspects of past farm bills, have been codified in the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), but the extension of the 2018 farm bill is about to expire.

A GLRI Demonstration Project is Showing How Drainage Water Recycling Can Increase Yields for Farmers

While drainage can have numerous benefits to farmers, it can also have unintended negative impacts on the environment. Most notably, nitrogen and phosphorus can escape fields through drain tile and contribute to water quality issues—especially in intensively drained agricultural regions like the western Lake Erie watershed.

NACD Comments on USDA Reorganization

Conservation districts work side-by-side with USDA partners in local communities across the country, giving them unique insights into the impacts of USDA programs at the local, state, and national levels. As USDA considers changes affecting the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Forest Service, and mission support functions, we offer the following comments, questions, and recommendations.

Construction Suicide Prevention Week

September 2025 has been designated National Suicide Awareness Month and the construction industry has responded with Construction Suicide Prevention Week to address the unique problems within the industry.

Tips for Locating Underground Utilities Before Excavation Work

Municipal infrastructure managers and maintenance crew chiefs face growing challenges when it comes to safely performing excavation, digging or maintenance work. With an ever-expanding web of underground utilities, including water, sewer, drainage, fiber, electrical and gas lines, the risk of damaging critical infrastructure has never been higher.

Paired-field Evaluation of a Saturated Buffer Reveals Significant Water-Quality Benefits Through Upstream Weir Management

This study looked at how well saturated buffers—an agricultural conservation drainage practice—reduce nitrate pollution in farm runoff compared to free drainage. Researchers found that the upstream weir, which controls water levels before it enters the buffer, plays a bigger role in cleaning the water than previously thought.

Conservation Practices to Reduce Nitrogen Runoff into the Gulf of Mexico

While nitrogen application is necessary to grow healthy crops, only about 40-50% of applied nitrogen is absorbed by those crops. The rest goes into waterways, breaks down in the soil, or is converted and released as greenhouse gas. That’s where conservation drainage comes in.

Springfield Plastics Opens New Distribution Yard in Indiana

Springfield Plastics, Inc., a leading tile drainage manufacturer, is pleased to announce that our new 13-acre distribution yard and 1,440-sq.-ft. office and warehouse are now open in North Manchester, Indiana (1139 Taylor St.).

Drainage Contractor Tackles Drainage for the Future

A special, free e-book gives an overview of drainage for a changing climate and world, featuring interviews from recent Drainage Contractor features and columns, GroundBreakers and the North American Drainage Conference.