Across the Cornbelt, with very few exceptions, water availability to the growing crop is a daily topic of conversation, consideration, or concern. Too much, too little, too late, and on occasion, there has even been concern of too dry to plant. We manage water with ditches, tile, subsurface drains, pipes, pumps, and supplemental irrigation water – the most common being an overhead, center pivot irrigation. And as goes water availability, so goes root growth and, in general, nutrient availability, especially nitrogen and sulfur. To a grower with sandy or coarse soils, the ability to irrigate is the ability to raise a profitable crop.

In light of the remarkedly wet season that most of the Midwest has experienced, irrigation is likely in the back of most farmers' minds right now. That said, we continue putting irrigation/fertigation systems to the test with our Practical Farm Research (PFR)®. In the case of sub-irrigation, three of our PFR sites have been able to utilize tile drainage systems in certain areas on the sites and backfl ow water through them for a multi-functional drainage plus irrigation system.

Over the last two years, Beck’s Practical Farm Research (PFR)® team in SIL has tested various water management systems. These studies included drip-fertigation and sub-irrigation studies as well as a tile spacing and tile depth studies. These different water management systems have resulted in some of the highest yields ever recorded at the SIL PFR site to date. In the February 2018 PFR report, we discussed the yield advantages we have seen from tile drainage and irrigation, and many of you asked why we saw such a yield increase.

There is no better time to experience the benefits of water management than after a big rainfall event. And Mother Nature has provided more than enough of those this season.

Fields across the Midwest have been flooded and tractors put on standby as farmers across the Corn Belt waited out torrential rains and wet fields over the last few weeks. Some fields however, fared better than others. Their secret you ask? Well water management of course!

In the latest Practical Farm Research (PFR)® Report Jason Webster, Beck’s PFR Innovation Lead, is in the field at the Southern IL PFR site where the field tile is being installed for the new Water Management Study.