7 Ways Agricultural Land Drainage Can Benefit You
- gaylynnrw
- May 11, 2017
- 2 min read
Agricultural land drainage allows for the water table to be controlled during the growing season in order to create the most fertile farmland possible. Without any water management, a good portion of land would be unfarmable. Here are 7 ways land drainage can benefit you and your land!
1. Increased Crop Yield Potential
Land drainage affects the crop yield potential in multiple ways, including:
Quicker Soil Warm Up-Plants will not grow as well sitting in cold, wet soil.
Less Soil Compaction- Working on wet soils can create a compaction problem, affecting the plant growth.
More Oxygen in the Soil-Drainage creates air and water channels as the water filters down into the soil
Deeper Crop Roots-Those air and water channels promote deep root growth
More Nitrogen & Sulfur Available-The increased oxygen creates a better environment for microorganisms and earthworms to thrive, making these elements more available.
Longer Growing Season-Drainage gives farmers the ability to plant earlier for higher yields.
Reduce Toxins- Iron and manganese toxicity levels are lowered when oxygen reaches the elements.
2. More Consistent Yields
Drainage allows for crop yields to be consistent, which gives the landowner a more dependable cash flow. Farmers will have a better estimate of their annual revenue. Imagine how much easier it would be to plan a budget!
3. Less Soil Erosion
When the excess water begins to pond, the soil will move and run off resulting in erosion. Land drainage allows the water to filter through the soil which leads to less erosion and allows the soil to stay intact.
4. Reduced Variable Costs
Consistent soil is a result of land drainage, which means the other variables, including seed and fertilizer, are able to be maximized. Variable costs are reduced, consequently.
5. Increased Land Value
Keeping land in good condition can go a long way. Basically, well-drained land is worth much more than land that is not drained well. If the landowner wants to sell, the land will be worth much more if it has higher quality soil.
6. Increased Timeliness
Farming operations need to happen in a small window of time in order to maximize crop yield. If there is excessive rainfall in that period of time, land drainage allows fields to dry out faster than normal. This gives farmers to access their fields when needed without any lost time.
7. One-Time Expense
Other variables such as seed, fertilizers, and chemicals are a constant expense. Land drainage increases crop yields and brings in profit year after year and only needs to be installed once.
Installing drain tile into your field may sound like quite the project, but it is incredibly beneficial! The initial cost of it may deter you, but we encourage you to actively look into getting some kind of land drainage to improve the longevity of your land.
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