What a difference a year makes!

March 14, 2012

By Jamie Duininck, Vice President of Sales, Prinsco
It is early March in Central Minnesota, and just a year ago we still had several feet of snow on the ground. Today, much of our snow is gone and we are expecting temperatures in the low 70’s. That kind of warm weather means our customers will be tiling soon. 
I know many farmers would have preferred their tiling be done in the fall to eliminate some compaction. But don’t worry! Any minor yield losses from spring tiling compaction can be gained back throughout the season. For example, if we have a wet, cool spring like we did last year, a new drainage system will allow farmers to get into the field earlier… like mid-April, for spring planting. That will put them way ahead of the game! 

Tiling is effective, even if we have a dryer than normal spring, like meteorologists have predicted for this year. Why? Because managing the water table will force crops to grow a deeper, healthier root system. Those deep roots will make plants heartier, more productive and better able to reach water during a dry growing season.

The real message is, no matter what the season or what the weather, installing a drainage system to manage the water table is one of the most effective, long term strategies a farmer can implement to improve yields and creating efficiencies. That’s a proven fact.

Spring or fall, wet or dry, strategic water management is always a good idea!

Categories: Agriculture

Categories

Archives