By Brian Hefty

Whether you’ve been tiling for years or are still thinking about tiling your first field, we invite you to attend this year’s free
Ag PhD Tiling Clinic Tuesday, February 28th at the Morton Center near Baltic, SD on the site of the Ag PhD Field Day.

If you’ve ever heard me talk about tiling, you know that this is one of the things I am most passionate about.  Here’s why I feel so strongly about tile and this topic in general.  First, of all the things we’ve ever spent money on in our farming operation, tile has given us the quickest payback.  Almost every field we’ve ever tiled has paid us back 100% of our money in just one year.  The couple of fields that haven’t paid back that quickly have still dramatically improved since we put tile in the ground.  For example, we have one field where prior to adding tile in the fall of 2011, it averaged 35 bushel soybeans and 115 bushel corn.  Last year on that field we harvested 77 bushel soybeans.  The year before we pulled off 225 bushel corn.  Without tile, we likely would have been near our long-term, terrible averages.

The second reason I’m so passionate about tiling is because when done properly, it’s great for the environment.  It dramatically improves soil health, reduces erosion and runoff, improves downstream water quality, and greatly lowers the risk of flooding.  Unfortunately, non-farmers believe the opposite about each of those statements when it comes to tile.  Members of the media have ridiculously misrepresented tile as part of society’s ills, rather than a tool that farmers should be implementing when needed.

When you attend the Ag PhD Tiling Clinic, here are some of the things you can learn and see.

  • Learn how to save money by installing tile yourself.  With today’s technology, you can easily install tile that will work well for 50+ years.  We’ll show you how.
  • Tiling equipment on display, including design software, tile plows, and much more
  • Breakout sessions with tile plow guidance systems including Ag Leader and Trimble
  • Breakout sessions with NRCS and private consultants to learn about wetland determinations, current rules and regulations, and more
  • Learn how to design and implement a plan for a lift station on your farm, as well as new technologies in this area
  • Sub-surface irrigation can be done with tile lines, but how?
  • Learn about drainage law from one of the top drainage lawyers in the U.S.
  • Tiling 101 with Brian and Darren
  • Tile system design with Brian and Darren
  • Learn from Brian, Darren, and others how you can work together with your neighbors, landlords, highway departments, and others to put together a mutually beneficial plan to improve drainage
  • Learn about all the environmental benefits of drain tile.  We will send you home with supporting data so you can talk to non-farmers about the advantages for them when you put tile in the ground.
  • Live Ag PhD Radio Show from 2 pm to 3 pm with Brian and Darren