Across the Eastern Corn Belt last week, tiling machines were going full speed as farmers work to improve drainage, add value to their land, and hopefully get in the field earlier.
“With profits where they are this year, we are seeing quite a bit more tile going in,” notes Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal Agronomist. Drainage tile typically pays for itself through increased yields within five years of installation in farmland with drainage issues.
Efficient tile should lower the water table within 24 hours of a rainfall, according to Iowa State University.
Farmer Greg Slenzer has been laying tile for local farmers around Hartford City, Ind., for weeks now. “Our flat land and heavy clay soil really benefits from better drainage,” Slenzer says. He recently invested in a new tractor-mounted DK Trencher out of Tiffin, Ohio, that trenches down to 6’ and up to 24” wide.
Watch this video to see Slenzer laying tile in Northeast Indiana.
