How to Get the Best out of your Drainage System

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.