Red River Basin Commission Develops Tile Drainage By-Law Template

 

The Red River Basin Commission (RRBC), along with a number of partners, has developed a tile drainage by-law template to assist municipalities with the approval process.

 

“It is to assist them in understanding tile, their role in the approval process, and the Provincial role”’ says Steve Strang, Manitoba Director of the RRBC. "Just granting an approval or just saying 'no' does not work. Councils need to understand the request before them."

 

Tile drainage is becoming widely used in many municipalities in Manitoba as it can greatly increase productivity and profitability for farmers. The system removes excess water from soil below the surface. Tile drainage lowers the water table and creates soil moisture levels optimal for crop growth. Tile can increase drying of soil in spring allowing for earlier planting, deepened rooting by crops, increased yield reliability, among other benefits. Under certain circumstances it has almost doubled the net profit that producers are getting off their acreages.

 

“There is a wide range of conditions across the landscapes and soils of agri-Manitoba,” said Mitchell Timmerman with Manitoba Agriculture. “The appropriate intensity of drainage may vary from site to site. This is a regulated practice, so it is important for everyone to understand that the role they play is vital for getting it right the first time. Effectively and sustainably managing drainage is a complex challenge and shared responsibility.”

 

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.