Drain For Grain
Conservation Drainage
A Good Drain Makes Grain!
Most of us know by now that good agricultural drainage increases overall yield and better utilizes applied inputs. After nearly 20 years of conventional drainage sales and service we at Long Enterprises LLC Drain for Grain Division are redirecting our focus from conventional drainage solutions to what has come to be known as Conservation Drainage. Instead of simply removing excess water from our fields we are now finding ways to manage water that may be in excess today, to treat it as it leaves our fields or better yet save it for a dryer time when we may need it back on the field. Perserving water in dry times is equally important to draining it in times of excess.
What is conservation drainage?
By in large this is surface channels and plains and or subsurface laterals and mains just like we’ve always done. Now however, we are adding (mostly) edge of field amendments to reduce the amount of “crop nutrients” that may become “stream contaminants” as they leave our fields in drainage water.
Does the arid climate of Kansas Truly Warrant Conservation Drainage?
Every summer we in south central Kansas hear of recreational lakes restricting water from swimming, fishing, and pets drinking at local lakes due to blooms of blue green algae. Blue green algae feeds on nitrates and more so phosphorus that potentially drains off of farm fields. In addition, it all flows downhill. Though a lesser contribution than some of our neighbors, nitrates in Kansas streams will find their way to the Gulf and contributes to hypoxia.
Does the NRCS still frown on AG drainage?
A wetland is still a wetland and they serve an important function related to water quality and wildlife habitat. However, not every crop impacting depression will qualify as a wetland. Those that do may prove to be cost effectively mitigated to another part of the field. Recently the NRCS has implemented several Conservation Practice Standards (CPS’s) that we believe can be used to capture all of the yield advantages of conventional drainage with the environmental advantages of good conservation stewardship. This means that conservation drainage could be supported by EQIP cost share programs.
Directing excess water (via surface or subsurface drains) from the body of your field to an edge of field conservation practice is a win/win for all involved! Note: To capture NRCS funding a few things need to be in place.
A. The proposed amendment must be defined in an NRCS Conservation Practice Standard (CPS).
B. The target CPS must be listed as applicable to your state as defined in the states Field Office Technical Manual.
C. The target CPS will need an authorized Technical Service Provide (TSP) to prepare designs. In some cases a state licensed Private Engineer (PE) will need to be involved.
Note: We at Long Enterprises LLC / Drain For Grain are neither TSP nor PE qualified. However, we work closely with a firm that meets both of these criteria. In the event you are not seeking NRCS funding we are ADMC certified designers and able to meet your needs for any drainage project.
Recent Supreme Court Rulings have dramatically reduced the number of depressions that fall under Federal jurisdiction. State clean water regulations and permitting still apply, but are much less stringent.
Drainage Water Recycling
Have you ever thought in the spring “we are really going to wish we had some of this runoff when summer comes around”? Drainage water recycling may well be the most exciting drainage conservation practice available in south central Kansas. It involves capturing and ponding water from any number of sources when it is abundant, and recycling it back onto the field when moisture is at a deficit.
Image Courtesy of Transforming Drainage Project
Example of potential drainage water recycling (DWR) configurations. Irrigation methods include sub irrigation (left), where water is applied back to the field through the drainage system, and sprinkler irrigation (right).
Financial Assistance
Drainage Water Recycling is eligible for financial assistance through the NRCS EQIP Conservation Practice Standard 447 It is listed in the Kansas Field Office Technical Guide titled as tail ,water recovery, originally conceived to support flood irrigation.
Pursuit of NRCS funding may require the services of a state licensed Private Engineer and or a NRCS Technical Service Provider (TSP) for sign off. We at Long Enterprises LLC work closely with a state licensed Engineer who is also a TSP for practices noted here and others. If you need these services for other Ag related practice standards we can be a catalyst to speed the process. Give us a call.
Conservation Drainage Amendment to Conventional Drainage
Controlled Drainage
Controlled Drainage, commonly referred to as drainage water management, uses a control structure to manage a drainage system’s outlet height. By controlling the outlet height the manager can control the time of year and volume of water that is drained. Restricting flow during the periods when drainage is not necessary reduces the amount of tile transported nutrients by decreasing the volume of water discharged. Increases in crop yield can be realized if water is able to be held back for the time of year when crops operate at a water deficit. Managers should follow a drainage water management plan prepared specifically for their field and drainage system. Installations requiring a lift station have built in drainage water level control.
Image courtesy of Agricultural Drainage Management Coalition (ADMC)
Financial Assistance
Controlled drainage systems are eligible for financial assistance through the NRCS EQIP program. There are Conservation Practice Standards available to help pay for the control structures, additional sub-mains that may be needed to manage the water levels, and for the drainage water management plan.
NRCS CPS 554 Drainage Water Management, NRCS CPS 587 Structure for Water Control, NRCS CPS 606 Subsurface Drain and NRCS CAP 130 Drainage Water Management
Pursuit of NRCS funding may require the services of a state licensed Private Engineer and or a NRCS Technical Service Provider (TSP) for sign off. We at Long Enterprises LLC work closely with a state licensed Engineer who is also a TSP for practices noted here and others. If you need these services for other Ag related practice standards we can be a catalyst to speed the process. Give us a call.
Conservation Drainage Amendment to Conventional Drainage
Constructed Wetland
Constructed Wetlands are designed for nutrient and sediment removal from drainage waters. They fit well as an edge of field termination for new or existing surface /tile drains. They also create wildlife habitat. From the start they are expected to be periodically dredged (to remove sediments) unlike created or natural wetlands.
NRCS photo by Mark DeBrock
Financial Assistance
Constructed wetlands are eligible for financial assistance through the NRCS EQIP Conservation Practice Standard 656.
NRCS CPS 656 Constructed Wetland
Pursuit of NRCS funding may require the services of a state licensed Private Engineer and or a NRCS Technical Service Provider (TSP) for sign off. We at Long Enterprises LLC work closely with a state licensed Engineer who is also a TSP for practices noted here and others. If you need these services for other Ag related practice standards we can be a catalyst to speed the process. Give us a call.
Conservation Drainage Amendment to Conventional Drainage
Two-stage ditches
Two-Stage Ditches widen the conventional channelized drainage ditch and include a floodplain bench. The floodplain bench provides floodplain storage and is vegetated which encourages nutrient removal and discourages errosion.
Image courtesy of Agricultural Drainage Management Coalition (ADMC)
Financial Assistance
Two-stage ditches are eligible for financial assistance through the NRCS EQIP Conservation Practice Standard 582 Open Channel. This standard is included in the Kansas Field Office Technical Guide
NRCS CPS 582 Open Channel
Pursuit of NRCS funding may require the services of a state licensed Private Engineer and or a NRCS Technical Service Provider (TSP) for sign off. We at Long Enterprises LLC work closely with a state licensed Engineer who is also a TSP for practices noted here and others. If you need these services for other Ag related practice standards we can be a catalyst to speed the process. Give us a call.
Conservation Drainage Amendment to Conventional Drainage
Multi-purpose oxbow
An oxbow is an abandoned stream meander which provides valuable ecosystem services including wildlife habitat, flood water storage, and nutrient processing. A multi-purpose oxbow is designed with the intent of being shallow enough to remove nitrogen, but deep enough to ensure that fish species can over-winter in its pool. Other uses for an Oxbow might include an outlet / storage area for tile or surface drainage. In this application it could be used as a pond for drainage water recycling (see related slide). While a good conservation practice, Multipurpose Oxbows are not covered by an NRCS CPS.
Restored mult-purpose oxbow, image courtesy of IA TNC.
Pursuit of NRCS funding may require the services of a state licensed Private Engineer and or a NRCS Technical Service Provider (TSP) for sign off. We at Long Enterprises LLC work closely with a state licensed Engineer who is also a TSP for practices noted here and others. If you need these services for other Ag related practice standards we can be a catalyst to speed the process. Give us a call.
Conservation Drainage Amendment to Conventional Drainage
Saturated Buffers
Saturated Buffers utilize the organic matter in the soil profile of a vegetated filter strip located between a field edge and a stream to remove nitrogen from tile transported water. To accomplish this a control structure is used to divert a portion of the tile flow into a distribution tile that runs parallel to a stream.
Conventional outlet through a filter strip. Modified outlet for a saturated buffer.
Image courtesy of Agricultural Drainage Management Coalition (ADMC)
Financial Assistance
Saturated buffers are eligible for financial assistance through the NRCS EQIP Conservation Practice Standard 604 in some states. They are not listed in the Kansas Field Office Technical Guide and due to our arid climate may only be suitable in limited Kansas applications.
Pursuit of NRCS funding may require the services of a state licensed Private Engineer and or a NRCS Technical Service Provider (TSP) for sign off. We at Long Enterprises LLC work closely with a state licensed Engineer who is also a TSP for practices noted here and others. If you need these services for other Ag related practice standards we can be a catalyst to speed the process. Give us a call.
Conservation Drainage Amendment to Conventional Drainage
Bioreactors
Bioreactors utilize a carbon source, typically wood chips, to remove nitrates carried in tile water. They work by using a control structure to divert a portion of the tile flow through an underground bed of wood chips. The water saturates the wood chips creating anaerobic conditions suitable for denitrification. Current bioreactors are designed to have a 3 – 8 hour retention time and treat 15% of the expected peak tile flow.
Image courtesy of Iowa State University Extension, John Peterson
Bioreactors are not currently listed in the Kansas Field Office Technical Guide and therefore not eligible for Kansas EQIP consideration.
Pursuit of NRCS funding may require the services of a state licensed Private Engineer and or a NRCS Technical Service Provider (TSP) for sign off. We at Long Enterprises LLC work closely with a state licensed Engineer who is also a TSP for practices noted here and others. If you need these services for other Ag related practice standards we can be a catalyst to speed the process. Give us a call.
Tile Process Result
In the fall of 2017 a serious problem was brought to our attention that had been impacting crop production for years. The beans on th west side of the east field shown above could not be harvested at the time of the picture due to excess surface moisture. Depending on the year and crop, delayed if not prevent plant, serious yield reductions, and delayed harvest were the norm for the marked section s of neighboring fields.
An on site base station corrected RTK/GPS topo provided very accurate surface elevations from which to create a design . However, the preliminary anaysis showed the problems were not surface depressions. The solution would be to intercept hydraulic pressure from below before it could reach the surface.
During the winter of 2017/18 roughly 3500’ of tile was installed to the two fields. A 15 inch solid main was installed across the south side of the lateral field . The connection between the neighboring field on the west and the final outlet at the south east corner are regulated by water level control structures to manage the field capacity vs saturation at various times of each growing season.
By the fall of 2018 the moisture uniformity of the fields were much improved and the bulk of the crop impacting problems were resolved, as they continue to be today.
This site is very much under construction so check back from time to time for more exciting news about Conservation Drainage and what Long Enterprises LLC can do to help you increase yields while you work to make your farm a better place for you, those who will follow after you tomorrow, and for your friends and neighbors today.
For More Information Contact Larry @ Long Enterprises LLC Drain for Granin Division or call 316-524-3261,
Our Services
RTK/GPS precision Topography
Computer Aided Drainage Design
Surface Drainage Installations
(Channels and Plains)
Subsurface Tile Drainage Installation
(Controlled Drainage, Lift Stations Etc.)
DIY Drainage Consultation
DIY Equipment We Offer
AG Leader
(Soil Max Tile Plows, Stringer Carts, GPS, SMS Software, Etc.)
Holcomb Scrapers
Inteq Distributors
(Topcon Lasers, Laser and GPS excavator guidance, GPS dozer guidance, Laser scraper machine control. rods tripods etc.)
Prinsco and Frtatco Drain Tile Products
316-524-3261 Office
620-705-1770 Cell
Larry Long
Long Enterprises, LLC Drain for Grain Division