Tile Drainage Management Becomes A Priority

Aug 01, 2014

With the rapid expansion in tile drainage of farmland in southern Manitoba, figuring out the impact of tile from a water management perspective has become a priority for provincial and municipal governments.

Around two hundred provincial and municipal officials, as well as installers and farmers, met in Winkler on Wednesday for a tile drainage summit.

"We need to better understand how tile drainage systems operate, how they're installed and how they can be managed to bring benefit to people who use them," says Doug Chorney, president of Keystone Agricultural Producers. "That's the reason why this meeting was pulled together, and clearly by the level of interest we think we're on the right path."

Chorney is a member of the province's working group that has helped craft new water management regulations, which will include a specific section on tile drainage. The government is seeking input for the proposed rules until the end of the calendar year.

"We want to get all the facts out early so that when the regulations do get developed, they'll better reflect what's needed," he explains. "We don't want to create regulations that impede the ability to use it as an important tool, because we know in other provinces and states where they've used tile drainage, it's been a real successful tool for them."

Several MLAs and other elected officials attended the meeting in Winkler.

"It's important that we have everybody in the Legislature taking time to understand this issue well," says Chorney. "We'll have a stronger regulation that works well for everybody if we have a good consultation process all along."

Source: SteinbachOnline

Video: How farmers are protecting the soil and our food security | DW Documentary

For a long time, soil was all but ignored. But for years, the valuable humus layer has been thinning. Farmers in Brandenburg are clearly feeling the effects of this on their sandy fields. Many are now taking steps to prepare their farms for the future.

Years of drought, record rainfall and failed harvests: we are becoming increasingly aware of how sensitively our environment reacts to extreme weather conditions. Farmers' livelihoods are at stake. So is the ability of consumers to afford food.

For a few years now, agriculture that focuses solely on maximum yields has been regarded with increasing skepticism. It is becoming more and more clear just how dependent we are on healthy soils.

Brandenburg is the federal state with the worst soil quality in Germany. The already thin, fertile humus layer has been shrinking for decades. Researchers and farmers who are keen to experiment are combating these developments and looking for solutions. Priority is being given to building up the humus layer, which consists of microorganisms and fungi, as well as springtails, small worms and centipedes.

For Lena and Philipp Adler, two young vegetable farmers, the tiny soil creatures are invaluable helpers. On their three-hectare organic farm, they rely on simple, mechanical weed control, fallow areas where the soil can recover, and diversity. Conventional farmer Mark Dümichen also does everything he can to protect soil life on his land. For years, he has not tilled the soil after the harvest and sows directly into the field. His yields have stabilized since he began to work this way.

Isabella Krause from Regionalwert AG Berlin-Brandenburg is convinced after the experiences of the last hot summers that new crops will thrive on Brandenburg's fields in the long term. She has founded a network of farmers who are promoting the cultivation of chickpeas with support from the scientific community.