Drainage and water runoff have been an age-old problem in agriculture. We have taken many steps to try and find quicker and more efficient ways to create drainage solutions. While many of us are more used to the tile systems we see today, that wasn’t always the case. We didn’t always have the technology and resources to connect huge pipelines all around the field.
One way farmers countered water problems in the field was to drill what were essentially wells back down into the ground to act as a drain. However, these ag drainage wells came with an unforeseen cost that took some time to discover. Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig talks about the issues and what was done to address that situation.
Last month, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) announced that the final group of seven wells were closed, and it was done in a unique fashion.
Naig says this is the final effort on a long-term project. Naig points to finding ways to constantly improve upon what we do to preserve water quality. It is a prime example of trying a solution, finding out it is not the best solution, and finding ways to rectify it and turn it into a positive.
