TILE CONSIDERATIONS Luymes reiterates tile drainage does not remove needed moisture from soil; it just removes excess gravitational water. “We’re just lowering the water table faster than it would naturally,” says Luymes. She adds tile also pays in dry years, as removing excess water early in the growing season drives the development of larger crop root systems—a benefit when hot, dry weather arrives later in summer. Jefferies says water can enter tile from above through “macropores,” or large spaces formed by worms, roots, cracks, and so on. While this is a good thing, he cautions farmers need to be mindful when it comes to nutrient applications, as macropores offer a “direct conduit” to field tile. On the whole, though, water enters tile from below as saturation raises the water table. “We often say water runs downhill, but agriculture depends on water going up a lot…Water still has to go down, but then there’s that pressure difference, which is why it would be going down to go up again,” says Luymes. Differences in pressure within the soil also create humps of moisture between tile drains. The larger that hump is, the less ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER AGRONOMY “Tile also pays in dry years, as removing excess water early in the growing season drives the development of larger crop root systems—a benefit when hot, dry weather arrives later in summer. evenly a field will drain. This can be remedied with the right tile spacing and depth. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Agribusiness Publication 29, Drainage Guide for Ontario, lists different spacing and depths for different soil types. “Soil has its own way of draining,” says Luymes, reiterating farmers need to understand both natural drainage and how much water tile systems can drain—the latter being called the “drainage coefficient.” Regardless of tile spacing and depth, the size of the tile outlet is critical to a system’s ability to handle water. Trying to save money by opting for an outlet smaller than what’s recommended by the contractor is not a good idea. “Imagine a bottleneck. If you want to have good drainage, you have to pay for a massive outlet…There is math involved. You can’t skimp on the outlet. Ever,” says Luymes in a later interview. “That system will need to be designed, or potentially overdesigned, for the future.” Should a grower want the ability to retain more water, controlled drainage systems are an option. Luymes describes them as underground dams, where water is retained until it reaches above the intercepting panel housed within a tile main. Different types of tile, too, can move water more quickly or slowly, and terraced tile systems can provide good drainage in fields with topographical differences. Jefferies and Luymes add good soil health practices—avoiding compaction, keeping soil covered, adding organic amendments, responsible tillage, crop rotation—and improving drainage. Some fields, though, have waterlogged areas that won’t go away. For Luymes, such cases “just could be a wetland. Let’s just admit that.” • Free Mental Health Training for the Agricultural Community InTheKnowOntario.ca In theKnowis a training tailored to the agricultural community that increases understanding of mental health and wellness, normalizes conversations about mental health, and reduces stigma. REGISTER FOR A SESSION OR BOOK A PRIVATE SESSION FOR YOUR GROUP
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