By Brian Hefty

For the last several years, Darren and I have put on a series of Ag PhD Tiling Clinics, and I invite you to attend one this winter.  We’ll have lots of new information, equipment displays, breakout sessions, and speakers even the most experienced tilers will learn from.  One of the most basic things we talk about during a breakout session with farmers who haven’t tiled before is all the benefits you as a farmer achieve with tiling.  Here’s a portion of that list.

When you install tile correctly on your farm, you will have…

  1. Higher yields – typically 15% to 25%.  By the way, if in 2013 you raise 180 bushel corn X $6 per bushel, a 15% yield increase amounts to $162 per acre!
  2. Less chance for soil compaction
  3. Earlier spring warm-up of your soils, meaning a longer & more predictable growing season
  4. Quicker planting, harvesting, spraying, and any other field activity
  5. Fewer “stuck” situations, breakdowns, and repair costs
  6. Fewer seed & seedling diseases
  7. Lower salt levels & a lower soil pH over time (if your soil pH starts out high)
  8. Less erosion – most studies show 40% to 60% erosion reduction after tiling because there is less surface water runoff after tile is installed
  9. Cleaner water downstream, because tile water is far cleaner than surface runoff, and tile water is often drinking-water quality
  10. Less water flowing downstream long-term because you’ll raise higher yields, and higher yields use more water

I know it has been dry this summer, but this is the perfect time to tile.  You have great traction to pull tile in.  You likely won’t have to deal with excessive water volumes when making connections or tying in with neighbors.  You hopefully have lots of time to tile, since harvest finished this year in record time.  Tiling provides tax advantages for you, and it’s a way you can improve your land not just for a few years, but for decades.

If you are set to tile this fall, just remember the 3 things we always discuss during our Tiling Clinics:

  1. Give your NEIGHBOR the better deal – make sure it works out for your neighbor at least as good as it works out for you
  2. Install tile correctly using NO surface inlets – if you think you need an inlet, use a small drain field instead with several shallow tile lines a few feet apart in that area
  3. “Conservation means development as much as it does protection.” – Theodore Roosevelt.  You have the opportunity when tiling to improve our environment, as well as your yields.  Be smart.