The Rural Voice, 2019-08, Page 27 Controlling drainage means
managing the outflow of a sub-
surface drainage pipe. With gates or
with an elbow and vertical pipe, the
tiles can be blocked or opened as
needed, controlling the water table in
the field for sub-surface irrigation or
just to limit downstream flows.
Controlled drainage works in flat
fields, but the head pressure makes it
impossible to regulate tile outflow on
a slope. Unless the laterals are laid
flat, that is.
Roth Drainage tackled the seven-
acre controlled section of the project.
Each lateral was installed on a
precise contour with a control
structure at each lateral end. There
are 22 lateral control structures in
total. Mike Neeb, of Roth Drainage,
used their BRON 150 plow for the
job.
“We used our shorter plow and it
did a better job of making those tight
turns,” says Neeb. “Installing on
contour was a slower process than a
conventional installation but putting
in the control gates wasn’t as big a
job as we thought it would be.”
Four styles of control structures
were installed for a
performance comparison:
Agridrain, ADS/Ideal’s nyoplast
gate, Porter’s weir-type gate and a
do-it-yourself version that was
designed by AGREM for public use.
These gates were assembled by
HSCIA’s board and dubbed the
“Gord Gates” after the Huronview
farm manager, Gord Mitchell.
Next to that, Parker & Parker
installed conventional drainage that
will serve as a side-by-side
comparison with the controlled
section and ABCA will monitor soil
moisture levels, as well as water
quality and flow rates, both from
surface water and through the tile. A
third, un-tiled area of the field will
act as a control and HSCIA will be
monitoring yields and plant health
from all of the sections.
Parker & Parker also installed a
conventional system under a six-acre
sub-watershed that will have surface
contoured terraces installed later this
summer. The purpose of these
terraces will be to intercept surface
water and redirect it across the slope
and into a grassed ditch where it will
outlet into an existing wetland. The
August 2019 23
ATTENTION: ALL FARMLAND
PROPERTY OWNERS
TIME IS RUNNING OUT!
Have you completed your 2019
Farm Business Registration?
A requirement to get the farmland
property tax rate is a valid Farm
Business Registration (FBR) number.
Contact Agricorp at 1-866-327-3678
for more information.
To be eligible for the farmland tax
rate, you must contact Agricorp and
link all your farm properties to your
FBR number(s). If you have any
questions on the Farmland Property
Class Tax Rate Program, contact
Agricorp at 1-888-247-4999 or your
OFA representative below.
Margaret Vincent (Huron & Perth) 1-800-511-1135 ext 1 margaret.vincent@ofa.on.ca
Joanne Hughes (Grey & Bruce) 1-800-275-9551 ext. 2 joanne.hughes@ofa.on.ca
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