How to Get the Best out of your Drainage System

Jun 09, 2022

By Sarah Fronczak and Ehsan Ghane

Are you preparing to add or change out tile lines in you fields? Tune in to the Michigan State University Extension Field Crops Virtual Breakfast on Thursday, June 16, at 7 a.m. Ehsan Ghane, MSU Extension agricultural drainage specialist, will provide research-based recommendations to help producers make the best choices on pipe in their fields.

When you buy your drainage pipe, do you ask yourself if one pipe material removes water more quickly than another? You can get pipes with various perforations. Some pipes remove water more quickly than others, so you can plant on time in spring and harvest on time in fall. A sediment preventive measure is needed in non-cohesive or weakly cohesive soils. Example soils that may cause a sedimentation problem are sand, loamy sand, sandy loam, loam, silt loam, and silt. If you have a drain sedimentation problem, you can use either a sock-wrapped pipe or a sand-slot pipe to prevent drain sedimentation. Join this webinar to learn which of those pipes removes water faster.

Source : msu.edu

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.