Capturing drainage water and reusing it on the land could provide a multitude of benefits in Iowa, where nearly half of the cropland acres utilize drainage tile. That’s the current focus of research being conducted by the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA).
Drainage water recycling will be the subject of ISA’s Innovation To Go webinar from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2.
Chris Hay, ISA senior research scientist, will discuss the practice of drainage water recycling, how it works, early study results and where the future lies for the practice.
Hay is continuing research on drainage water recycling following a multi-state project centered around the goals of storing drainage water.
With that project completed, Hay is identifying how the practice can work in Iowa.
Hay has been working with farmers and Matt Helmers, director of the Iowa Nutrient Research Center at Iowa State University (ISU), to collect and interpret data from the trials. Two new sites have been developed thanks to the partnership with ISU and grant assistance from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.
“The impetus behind this practice is that it can be seen as a win-win practice,” says Hay. “The farmer gets the benefit of increased yields from supplemental irrigation, and there is a water quality benefit from capturing and reusing the water and nutrients instead of letting them go downstream.”