NCERA_old217: Drainage design and management practices to improve water quality

(Multistate Research Coordinating Committee and Information Exchange Group)

Status: Inactive/Terminating

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Annual/Termination Reports:

[08/07/2020] [06/16/2021] [06/07/2022] [06/05/2023] [08/04/2024]

Date of Annual Report: 08/07/2020

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 06/04/2020 - 06/04/2020
Period the Report Covers: 07/01/2019 - 06/01/2020

Participants

Ehsan Ghane, Jeff Strock, Jane Frankenberger, Laura Christianson, Matthew Helmers, John McMaine, Kelly Nelson, Rameshwar Kanwar, Xinhua Jia, Gary Hawkins, Eileen Kladivko, Mohamed Youssef, Gary Feyereisen, Lindsay Pease, Richard Cooke, Aaron Daigh, Eric Cooley, Chris Hay, Clare Prestwich

Brief Summary of Minutes

Meeting Minutes

North Central Extension and Research Activity (NCERA)-217

Virtual Business Meeting on Thursday, June 4, 2020

Attendees: Ehsan Ghane, Jeff Strock, Jane Frankenberger, Laura Christianson, Matthew Helmers, John McMaine, Kelly Nelson, Rameshwar Kanwar, Xinhua Jia, Gary Hawkins, Eileen Kladivko, Mohamed Youssef, Gary Feyereisen, Lindsay Pease, Richard Cooke, Aaron Daigh, Eric Cooley, Chris Hay, Clare Prestwich

Ehsan Ghane, Chair, called the meeting to order at 2:00 ET, 1:00 CT.

A motion to approve the minutes from the 2019 meeting was made by Laura Christianson. Jeff Strock seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Ramesh Kanwar provided an Advisor’s Report.

NCERA-217 has done well. Annual report and minutes of the committee meeting will be due within 60 days. Minutes are due August 3, 2020. Ramesh will put on the NIMSS site. Mid-term review of NCERA-217 will be due in 2022; therefore, timely submission of minutes of annual meetings is important and should be submitted within 60 days of the meeting. Web-sites on federal programs have been developed and shared with advocacy groups. $90 billion are available to support elementary, secondary and post-secondary education; $10 billion to assist universities for financial aid; $100 million in the program for specialty crop block program; $28 million for farms trust program; and $16.5 billion in direct payments to producers. National multistate impact program is available assist with training committees on effective impact writing if you can pay travel; however, this is all currently on hold due to COVID-19. Training info and resources are available at: https://www.mrfimpacts.org/. Updated national budget advocacy efforts for research and Extension are available at: https://www.land-grant.org/. NCRA website is updated with current info and resources: https://www.ncra-saes.org/. Updated information on preparing collaborative multistate reports with examples is here, under #7: https://www.ncra-saes.org/multistate-handbook. Appreciation was extended to Ramesh’s leadership.

Old business:

NCERA-217 five-year (2014-2018) report was submitted (7/25/19) by Ehsan Ghane. Reports were submitted on time and Ramesh submitted state reports to NIMSS. There was no other old business.

Project and committee updates:

Jane Frankenberger provided an update on Transforming Drainage project. This will be the last year to report on the Transforming Drainage project. There is currently a no-cost extension in order to finish the project. Discussion was initiated on what to do to replace the project and how much it would cost to keep everything running. At least $100,000 was needed to support a person and provide operating funds. The need to identify a big proposal was discussed.

Next effort discussion focused on a consortium including the Conservation Drainage Network that covers a larger landscape and allows private partners to be more involved. Mohamed Youssef suggested that we may need to go bigger on the landscape such as salinity, energy costs, economics, social, and water recycling. Jeff Strock discussed an invited group of FFAR that was transdisciplinary and included soil health, upscaling, and very broad disciplines. Landscape scale is where there is a lot of interest which goes beyond water quality.

An update on ASABE and ASA activities was provided:

Jane Frankenberger, Committee Chair, provided an update on ASABE NRES-23 (Drainage Group). The format of the group and business meeting time (Tuesday 5:15-7:00) was discussed. Change drainage and extension timing was suggested since they overlap. Nomenclature about “Conservation Drainage” was addressed by John McMaine.

Laura Christianson reported on the ASA Managing Denitrification in Agronomic Systems. Over 600 members are planning to attend the meeting in Phoenix November 8-11^th. Presentations related to denitrification and agronomic systems are welcome. The theme for the program is Translating Visionary Science into Practice. Abstracts are due June 9^th, but submissions can be edited later in the summer.

Lindsay Pease, Presiding Leader, discussed ASA Nutrients and Environmental Quality community. Registration and abstract fees are refundable. A Megaposium was going to be in collaboration with the environmental community. Robin Wilson, social scientists, has been invited to present on how to get people to adopt practices.

An update on other committees included:

Soil and Water Conservation Committee. Jeff Strock is transitioning out of the liaison position. This meeting is set up for practitioners and agency personnel. The liaison committee between ASA-SSSA and Soil and Water Conservation Society has invited presentations. The main topic is on flooding across the U.S. using transdisciplinary approach. There are opportunities for us to put together ideas for symposia including the possibility of ASABE, SSSA, and soil and water conservation society.

Chris Hay updated the group that SWCS is taking on more edge-of-field practices. There will be an edge-of-field emphasis at their meeting. This is the 75^th anniversary of the SWCS.

The Conservation Drainage Network needs to be included on the NCERA-217 agenda for 2021.

The 14th International Drainage Symposium in 2021 was discussed by co-chairs, Matthew Helmers and Chris Hay. The symposium is targeting September, 2022 in Des Moines, IA. Actively working on the planning which will be helpful for International attendees.

New business:

Ehsan Ghane nominated Lindsay Pease as the vice-chair/chair elect. Eileen Kladivko seconded the motion. The nomination unanimously passed.

Annual reports for Jan to Dec 2019 need to be sent to Kelly Nelson (incoming chair). Kelly will coordinate the submitted reports and send to Ramesh Kanwar. Ramesh will submit to NIMSS by the deadline of Monday, August 3rd, 2020 (60 days after the meeting).

The date for next business meeting (2021) is planned to be held during the Conservation Drainage Network Annual Meeting. The tentative date was set for April 7-8, 2021 at Ft. Wayne, IN.

Other new business:

Kelly Nelson was welcomed as incoming chair which was effective after today’s meeting

Gary Feyereisen moved that we adjourn and Eileen Kladivko seconded the motion. Meeting was adjourned.

Minutes Attachment:

2020 NCERA-217 Station Reports.pdf

Accomplishments

Publications

Impact Statements

Date of Annual Report: 06/16/2021

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 04/08/2021 - 04/08/2021
Period the Report Covers: 01/01/2020 - 12/31/2020

Participants

Brief Summary of Minutes

See attached file below for NCERA217's 2020 annual report.

Minutes Attachment:

NCERA-217 Annual Committee Report 2021.pdf

Accomplishments

Publications

Impact Statements

Date of Annual Report: 06/07/2022

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 04/06/2022 - 04/08/2022
Period the Report Covers: 01/01/2021 - 12/31/2021

Participants

Participants from NCERA-217: Laura Christianson (lechris@illinois.edu) - University of Illinois; Jane Frankenberger (frankenb@purdue.edu) – Purdue University; Eileen Kladivko (kladivko@purdue.edu), Matt Helmers (mhelmers@iastate.edu) – Iowa State University; Ehsan Ghane (ghane@msu.edu) – Michigan State University; Gary Feyereisen (Gary.Feyereisen@ars.usda.gov) – USDA ARS and University of Minnesota; Lindsay Pease (lpease@umn.edu) - University of Minnesota; Jeppe Kjaersgaard (kjae0002 @umn.edu), University of Minnesota; Jeff Strock (jstrock@umn.edu) – University of Minnesota; Kelly Nelson (nelsonke@missouri.edu) – University of Missouri; Xinhua Jia (Xinhua.Jia@ndsu.edu) – North Dakota State University; Abigail Tomasek (abigail.tomasek@oregonstate.edu) – Oregon State University and John McMaine (john.mcmaine@sdstate.edu) – South Dakota State University.

Brief Summary of Minutes

Minutes Attachment:

2022 NCERA-217 Business Meeting Minutes_draft.docx

Accomplishments

Accomplishments: Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) pollution of surface water from nonpoint sources is a serious problem nationwide, particularly in the Midwest USA. The water quality issues are exacerbated by the prevalence of artificially improved through surface and subsurface drains. The NCERA-217 group is documenting the impacts of conservation drainage practices which maintains the benefits of drainage while minimizing negative environmental impacts. The 29 peer-reviewed journal articles, 11 other publications, and over 25 other outreach activities produced during the reporting period are listed in the separate publications document. Additional outputs are listed below. Short-term Outcomes: Virginia is piloting a $1 million dollar statewide ‘pay for demonstrated performance’ project to implement bioreactors to treat legacy nitrogen in springs. The program is based on research by NCERA-217 member Zach Easton. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality expects to start soliciting bioreactor proposals during the summer of 2022. Another outcome is the International Drainage Symposium held in Des Moines, IA Aug 30 – Sep 2 with many NCERA-217 members being involved on the organizing committee, https://www.swcs.org/events/conferences/22ids. Outputs: Extension Bulletins: <ul> <li>Seven drainage-related extension bulletins from Michigan State University authored by Ehsan Ghane, covering: Iron Ochre, Choosing Between Sock-Wrapped and Sand-Slot Pipes, Choosing Between 8-Row and 4-Row Regular-Perforated Pipes, Mole Drains, Drain Sedimentation Tool, Why Do Subsurface Drainage Systems Underperform, and Shallow Drains, available at: www.egr.msu.edu/bae/water/drainage/publications</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Díaz García, C., T. Berkshire, J. Chandrasoma, P. Davidson, R. Cooke, R. Christianson, and L. Christianson. 2021. Saturated buffers 101: “Buffing up” water quality. University of Illinois Extension factsheet CSWQ-0121. Available at: https://go.illinois.edu/BuffingUp.</li> </ul> Book chapters <ul> <li>Czapar, George F., and Laura Christianson. 2021. Illinois Agronomy Handbook chapter: Water Quality. Available at: extension.illinois.edu/commit/agronomy-handbook.</li> <li>Cooke, Richard A., and Laura E. Christianson. 2021. Illinois Agronomy Handbook chapter: Water Management. Available at: extension.illinois.edu/commit/agronomy-handbook.</li> </ul> Youtube Videos: <ul> <li>McMaine, J., Hardin, C., 2021: Drainage Water Recycling, www.youtube.com/watch?v=tO2oNBCpjLk. 184 views.</li> <li>McMaine, J., Hardin, C., 2021: Saturated Buffers, www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzRCi_wWNLM 105 views.</li> <li>McMaine, J., Hardin, C., 2021: Drainage Water Management, www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMlL1GP9vdU 78 views.</li> </ul> Podcasts: <ul> <li>McMaine, J., Bly, A., Moriarty, K., 2021/2022: 13 Episodes covering: Conservation Drainage 1 & 2; Bioreactors; Saturated Buffers 1 & 2; Controlled Drainage 1 & 2; Subsurface Drip Irrigation 1 & 2; Subirrigation; Constructed Wetlands 1 & 2; Soil Health and Drainage; and Managing Water with Soil Health. Available at: extension.sdstate.edu/tags/streamlines-podcast</li> </ul> The USDA-funded Transforming Drainage project ended in 2021. The project was led by NCERA-217 members. The project website, www.transformingdrainage.org, continues to be a resource on drainage water storage practices and has logged 33,000 users and 121,500 page views. The project YouTube channel has logged more than 6,500 views and the Twitter account (@TD_Drainage) has 441 followers. The Transforming Drainage project developed numerous tools to be used in decision-making, listed below with the author if not an NCERA-217 member. These tools are freely available at https://transformingdrainage.org/tools/: <ul> <li>The Drain Spacing Tool estimates the optimum drain spacing that maximizes economic return on investment in the drainage system.</li> <li>The Drainage Rate Calculator determines the three standard coefficients recommended by Skaggs (2017) for characterizing hydraulic properties of subsurface drainage systems. (Developed by Chris Hay, Iowa Soybean Association)</li> <li>The Likely Extent of Agricultural Drainage Tool identifies agricultural areas that are likely to have been drained for crop production, usually through subsurface tile drainage, in the Midwest.</li> <li>The Controlled Drainage Suitability Tool identifies land in the Midwestern USA that has a high probability of being suitable for controlled drainage</li> <li>The Subirrigation Suitability Tool identifies potential suitability for subirrigation of land in the U.S. Midwest.</li> <li>The “Evaluating Drainage Water Recycling Decisions” (EDWRD) tool provides an estimate of the potential irrigation and water quality benefits that result from drainage water recycling across multiple reservoir sizes.</li> <li>The Field Nutrient Loss App provides a way to estimate nutrient loss of nitrogen based on drain flow rate and concentration.</li> <li>The Transforming Drainage Data Visualization Tool provides high-resolution visualization interfaces for users to explore data from 42 research sites studying conservation drainage practices. These sites have controlled drainage, saturated buffers, or drainage water recycling infrastructure installed in comparison to free (non-managed) drainage.</li> </ul> Activities: <ul> <li>The tri-state IA-MN-SD Drainage Research Forum was held in Ames, IA and virtually with 128 attendees. The on-line option attracted a national and international audience.</li> <li>Tri-state Tile Drainage Design and Water Management Workshop. On-line via zoom, 80 participants. Organized by University of Wisconsin, University of Illinois and Iowa State University.</li> <li>Wisconsin-Minnesota Discovery Farms tile project. Webinar with 179 participants. Presentations available at youtube.com/watch?v=rwvEGx-souw&t=226s</li> <li>Regional drainage school in Iowa with 30 attendees from Iowa, Missouri, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.</li> <li>Train-the-trainer workshops with extension staff to provide conservation drainage practice information in Georgia, Minnesota, and Iowa.</li> </ul> Milestones:    <ul> <li>Ongoing data collection under a regional drainage water quality project studying the impacts of 4R nitrogen management on crop yield, soil health, nutrient losses with water, and gaseous emissions. This work is being conducted across seven sites in the Upper Midwest US corn belt and one site in Ontario, CA. The project is funded by the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research and 4R Research Fund. Accomplishments: Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) pollution of surface water from nonpoint sources is a serious problem nationwide, particularly in the Midwest USA. The water quality issues are exacerbated by the prevalence of artificially improved through surface and subsurface drains. The NCERA-217 group is documenting the impacts of conservation drainage practices which maintains the benefits of drainage while minimizing negative environmental impacts. The 29 peer-reviewed journal articles, 11 other publications, and over 25 other outreach activities produced during the reporting period are listed in the separate publications document. Additional outputs are listed below. Short-term Outcomes: Virginia is piloting a $1 million dollar statewide ‘pay for demonstrated performance’ project to implement bioreactors to treat legacy nitrogen in springs. The program is based on research by NCERA-217 member Zach Easton. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality expects to start soliciting bioreactor proposals during the summer of 2022. Another outcome is the International Drainage Symposium held in Des Moines, IA Aug 30 – Sep 2 with many NCERA-217 members being involved on the organizing committee, https://www.swcs.org/events/conferences/22ids. Outputs: Extension Bulletins: <ul> <li>Seven drainage-related extension bulletins from Michigan State University authored by Ehsan Ghane, covering: Iron Ochre, Choosing Between Sock-Wrapped and Sand-Slot Pipes, Choosing Between 8-Row and 4-Row Regular-Perforated Pipes, Mole Drains, Drain Sedimentation Tool, Why Do Subsurface Drainage Systems Underperform, and Shallow Drains, available at: www.egr.msu.edu/bae/water/drainage/publications</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Díaz García, C., T. Berkshire, J. Chandrasoma, P. Davidson, R. Cooke, R. Christianson, and L. Christianson. 2021. Saturated buffers 101: “Buffing up” water quality. University of Illinois Extension factsheet CSWQ-0121. Available at: https://go.illinois.edu/BuffingUp.</li> </ul> Book chapters <ul> <li>Czapar, George F., and Laura Christianson. 2021. Illinois Agronomy Handbook chapter: Water Quality. Available at: extension.illinois.edu/commit/agronomy-handbook.</li> <li>Cooke, Richard A., and Laura E. Christianson. 2021. Illinois Agronomy Handbook chapter: Water Management. Available at: extension.illinois.edu/commit/agronomy-handbook.</li> </ul> Youtube Videos: <ul> <li>McMaine, J., Hardin, C., 2021: Drainage Water Recycling, www.youtube.com/watch?v=tO2oNBCpjLk. 184 views.</li> <li>McMaine, J., Hardin, C., 2021: Saturated Buffers, www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzRCi_wWNLM 105 views.</li> <li>McMaine, J., Hardin, C., 2021: Drainage Water Management, www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMlL1GP9vdU 78 views.</li> </ul> Podcasts: <ul> <li>McMaine, J., Bly, A., Moriarty, K., 2021/2022: 13 Episodes covering: Conservation Drainage 1 & 2; Bioreactors; Saturated Buffers 1 & 2; Controlled Drainage 1 & 2; Subsurface Drip Irrigation 1 & 2; Subirrigation; Constructed Wetlands 1 & 2; Soil Health and Drainage; and Managing Water with Soil Health. Available at: extension.sdstate.edu/tags/streamlines-podcast</li> </ul> The USDA-funded Transforming Drainage project ended in 2021. The project was led by NCERA-217 members. The project website, www.transformingdrainage.org, continues to be a resource on drainage water storage practices and has logged 33,000 users and 121,500 page views. The project YouTube channel has logged more than 6,500 views and the Twitter account (@TD_Drainage) has 441 followers. The Transforming Drainage project developed numerous tools to be used in decision-making, listed below with the author if not an NCERA-217 member. These tools are freely available at https://transformingdrainage.org/tools/: <ul> <li>The Drain Spacing Tool estimates the optimum drain spacing that maximizes economic return on investment in the drainage system.</li> <li>The Drainage Rate Calculator determines the three standard coefficients recommended by Skaggs (2017) for characterizing hydraulic properties of subsurface drainage systems. (Developed by Chris Hay, Iowa Soybean Association)</li> <li>The Likely Extent of Agricultural Drainage Tool identifies agricultural areas that are likely to have been drained for crop production, usually through subsurface tile drainage, in the Midwest.</li> <li>The Controlled Drainage Suitability Tool identifies land in the Midwestern USA that has a high probability of being suitable for controlled drainage</li> <li>The Subirrigation Suitability Tool identifies potential suitability for subirrigation of land in the U.S. Midwest.</li> <li>The “Evaluating Drainage Water Recycling Decisions” (EDWRD) tool provides an estimate of the potential irrigation and water quality benefits that result from drainage water recycling across multiple reservoir sizes.</li> <li>The Field Nutrient Loss App provides a way to estimate nutrient loss of nitrogen based on drain flow rate and concentration.</li> <li>The Transforming Drainage Data Visualization Tool provides high-resolution visualization interfaces for users to explore data from 42 research sites studying conservation drainage practices. These sites have controlled drainage, saturated buffers, or drainage water recycling infrastructure installed in comparison to free (non-managed) drainage.</li> </ul> Activities: <ul> <li>The tri-state IA-MN-SD Drainage Research Forum was held in Ames, IA and virtually with 128 attendees. The on-line option attracted a national and international audience.</li> <li>Tri-state Tile Drainage Design and Water Management Workshop. On-line via zoom, 80 participants. Organized by University of Wisconsin, University of Illinois and Iowa State University.</li> <li>Wisconsin-Minnesota Discovery Farms tile project. Webinar with 179 participants. Presentations available at youtube.com/watch?v=rwvEGx-souw&t=226s</li> <li>Regional drainage school in Iowa with 30 attendees from Iowa, Missouri, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.</li> <li>Train-the-trainer workshops with extension staff to provide conservation drainage practice information in Georgia, Minnesota, and Iowa.</li> </ul> Milestones:    <ul> <li>Ongoing data collection under a regional drainage water quality project studying the impacts of 4R nitrogen management on crop yield, soil health, nutrient losses with water, and gaseous emissions. This work is being conducted across seven sites in the Upper Midwest US corn belt and one site in Ontario, CA. The project is funded by the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research and 4R Research Fund.</li> </ul> </li> </ul>

Publications

Impact Statements

The research information generated on drainage water quality has continued to be shared in support of implementation of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy, the Minnesota Nutrient Reduction Strategy and the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy.

Date of Annual Report: 06/05/2023

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 04/04/2023 - 04/06/2023
Period the Report Covers: 01/01/2022 - 12/31/2022

Participants

Participants from NCERA-217: In-person: Laura Christianson (lechris@illinois.edu) - University of Illinois; Jane Frankenberger (frankenb@purdue.edu) – Purdue University; Eileen Kladivko (kladivko@purdue.edu), Matt Helmers (mhelmers@iastate.edu) – Iowa State University; Ehsan Ghane (ghane@msu.edu) – Michigan State University; Lindsay Pease (lpease@umn.edu) - University of Minnesota; Jeppe Kjaersgaard (kjae0002@umn.edu), University of Minnesota; Gary Sands (grsands@umn.edu) – University of Minnesota and John McMaine (john.mcmaine@sdstate.edu) – South Dakota State University. Attending on-line: Gary Feyereisen (Gary.Feyereisen@ars.usda.gov) – USDA ARS and University of Minnesota; Kelly Nelson (nelsonke@missouri.edu) – University of Missouri; Xinhua Jia (Xinhua.Jia@ndsu.edu) – North Dakota State University; Gary Hawkins (ghawkins@uga.edu) – University of Georgia.

Brief Summary of Minutes

Brief Summary of the Annual Meeting

The annual meeting was held jointly with the Conservation Drainage Network.

The meeting had a total of 120 registered attendees, with 80 in-person and 40 online with participation from 14 states, three Canadian provinces and two European countries.

The theme was “Advancing Implementation”, and the meeting focused on topics related to raising awareness, policy opportunities, and social science research that could address motivation barriers to adoption of conservation drainage practices.

Speakers included USDA Under Secretary Robert Bonnie discussing how USDA is addressing implementation opportunities. Callie Eideberg, Senior Staff Lead of the US Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, and Josh Maxwell, Policy Director, US House Agriculture Committee, discussed the Farm Bill process and opportunities related to conservation

State reports were provided by eight states. The reports highlighted drainage research and outreach activities in the states.

During the advisor’s report, Ramesh Kanwar encouraged the group to continue multi-state collaboration. The current NCERA217 project expires in 2024 and a renewal writing committee was appointed.

A summary of the annual meeting is at conservationdrainage.net/meetings-and-events/2023-conservation-drainage-network-annual-meeting/

Accomplishments

Accomplishments: Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) pollution of surface water from nonpoint sources is a serious problem nationwide. The water quality issues are exacerbated through surface and subsurface drains. The NCERA-217 group is documenting the impacts of conservation drainage practices which maintains the benefits of drainage while minimizing negative environmental impacts. An example of newer drainage research is work in Oregon on the efficiency of a woodchip bioreactor to remove nitrate in water from tile drainage under a dairy operation and investigating carbon storage dynamics and greenhouse gas emission from fields with varying ages of tile drainage. Another example is in Virginia, where the first large scale spring denitrifying bioreactor designed to remove legacy nitrogen (N) from emerging groundwater is being evaluated. Results from this site is used in the proposal for Virginia to claim N reduction for TMDL crediting under the Chesapeake Bay ditch bioreactor BMP protocol, and bioreactors are now part of the Virginia Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) to treat legacy nutrients in emergent groundwater. Short-term Outcomes: The 24 peer-reviewed journal articles, 11 other publications, 13 poster presentations, and over 45 other outreach activities and presentations produced during the reporting period are listed in the separate publications document. Additional outputs are listed below. Outputs: Extension Bulletins: We completed tutorials for several online tools from the $5M USDA-funded Transforming Drainage project, https://transformingdrainage.org/tools/. The tutorials enable more people to use these tools to access geographic information and model simulations of likely benefits of innovative drainage practices. As an example of the value and reach of extension materials produced by NCERA-217 members, Michigan State University had ten drainage-related Extension bulletins available in 2022 (available at www.egr.msu.edu/bae/water/drainage/). The publications had 611 downloads from June 2021 to September 7, 2022. That website had 25,496 page views from January 1, 2021 to September 8, 2022. The website was visited from over 20 countries in order of highest to lowest including the USA, United Kingdom, India, Canada, China, Australia, South Africa, and others. Videos: Seven professionally produced peer-reviewed videos were published: <ul> <li>Four providing an overview of the process of designing and implementing drainage water recycling, https://transformingdrainage.org/videos/drainage-water-recycling/ <ol> <li>Drainage Water Recycling: Capturing, Storing, and Using Drained Water for Multiple Benefits (ABE-168-WV)</li> <li>Planning Drainage Water Recycling Systems (ABE-169-WV)</li> <li>Constructing Drainage Water Recycling Systems (ABE-170-WV)</li> <li>Managing Drainage Water Recycling Systems (ABE-171-WV)</li> </ol> </li> <li>Three “spotlight” videos focusing on individual sites where drainage water recycling has been implemented, https://transformingdrainage.org/videos/dwr-spotlights/</li> </ul> <ol> <li>Drainage Water Recycling Spotlight: Addressing an Outlet Challenge in Michigan (ABE-172-W)</li> <li>Drainage Water Recycling Spotlight: Meeting Crop Needs in Minnesota (ABE-173-W)</li> </ol> Drainage Water Recycling Spotlight: Partnerships in Missouri  (ABE-174-W) Tools: Michigan State University has ten drainage decision-support tools available. The tools have already attracted more than 6,624 page views from May 1, 2021 to September 8, 2022. Number of users from highest to lowest were from Michigan, Ohio, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, and other states. Activities: <ul> <li>Work studying the impacts of 4R N management on crop yield, soil health, nutrient losses with water, and gaseous emissions is being conducted across seven sites in the Upper Midwest US cornbelt and one site in Ontario, CA. This work has documented that use of 4R practices reduces nitrate-N loss with leaching and nitrous oxide loss. Additional work on the impacts of cover crops including perennial ground cover on drainage water quality and crop yield and impacts of drainage water recycling on crop yield is underway at Iowa State University.</li> <li>Virginia developed a peer reviewed extension article entitled: What to Consider When Considering an Agricultural Drainage System (BSE-208).</li> <li>NCERA217 collaborators confirmed the performance of a world-first, three-bed bioreactor designed to remove nitrate from large areas rather than single fields. As a conservative estimate, implementing watershed-scale bioreactors would reduce nitrate loads in the MRB states of Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota by an additional 10,000 tons N/year (1.4% of annual N load) while reducing the number of installations by 90%.</li> </ul>

Publications

NCERA-217 Publications for 2022 <h2>Peer-Reviewed Publications</h2> <ol> <li>Abendroth, L.J., Chighladze, G., Frankenberger, J.R., Bowling, L.C., Helmers, M.J., Herzmann, D.E., Jia, X., Kjaersgaard, J., Pease, L.A., Reinhart, B.D. and Strock, J., 2022. Paired field and water measurements from drainage management practices in row-crop agriculture. Scientific Data, 9(1), pp.1-13. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01358-7.</li> <li>Jame, S.A., Frankenberger, J., Reinhart, B.D. and Bowling, L., 2022. Mapping Agricultural Drainage Extent in the US Corn Belt: The Value of Multiple Methods. Applied Engineering in Agriculture, 38(6), pp.917-930.</li> <li>Sellars, S.C., Thompson, N.M., Wetzstein, M.E., Bowling, L., Cherkauer, K., Lee, C., Frankenberger, J. and Reinhart, B., 2022. Does crop insurance inhibit climate change technology adoption? Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 27(3), pp.1-20.</li> <li>Helmers, M.J., Abendroth, L., Reinhart, B., Chighladze, G., Pease, L., Bowling, L., Youssef, M., Ghane, E., Ahiablame, L., Brown, L. and Fausey, N., 2022. Impact of controlled drainage on subsurface drain flow and nitrate load: A synthesis of studies across the US Midwest and Southeast. Agricultural Water Management, 259, p.107265.</li> <li>Feyereisen G.W., Hay C.H., Christianson R.D., Helmers M.J. (2022) Frontier: Eating the Metaphorical Elephant: Meeting Nitrogen Reduction Goals in Upper Mississippi River Basin States. Journal of the Asabe 65:621-631. DOI: 10.13031/ja.14887.</li> <li>Law J.Y., Long L.A., Kaleita A., Helmers M., Brendel C., van der Woude K., Soupir M. (2022) Stacked conservation practices reduce nitrogen loss: A paired watershed study. Journal of Environmental Management 302. DOI: ARTN 114053 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.114053.</li> <li>Maas E.D.V.L., Archontoulis S.V., Helmers M.J., Iqbal J., Pederson C.H., Poffenbarger H.J., TeBockhorst K.J., Castellano M.J. (2022) Subsurface drainage reduces the amount and interannual variability of optimum nitrogen fertilizer input to maize cropping systems in southeast Iowa, USA. Field Crops Research 288. DOI: ARTN 108663 10.1016/j.fcr.2022.108663.</li> <li>Mitchell M.E., Newcomer-Johnson T., Christensen J., Crumpton W., Richmond S., Dyson B., Canfield T.J., Helmers M., Lemke D., Lechtenberg M., Green D., Forshay K.J. (2022) Potential of water quality wetlands to mitigate habitat losses from agricultural drainage modernization. Science of the Total Environment 838. DOI: ARTN 156358 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156358.</li> <li>Mitchell M.E., Shifflett S.D., Newcomer-Johnson T., Hodaj A., Crumpton W., Christensen J., Dyson B., Canfield T.J., Richmond S., Helmers M., Lemke D., Lechtenberg M., Taylor C., Forshay K.J. (2022) Ecosystem services in Iowa agricultural catchments: Hypotheses for scenarios with water quality wetlands and improved tile drainage. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 77:426-440. DOI: 10.2489/jSWC.2022.00127.</li> <li>Waring E.R., Sawyer J., Pederson C., Helmers M. (2022) Impact of nitrogen fertilizer timing on nitrate loss and crop production in northwest Iowa. Journal of Environmental Quality 51:696-707. DOI: 10.1002/jeq2.20366.</li> <li>Kladivko, E.J., and L.C. Bowling. 2021. Long-term impacts of drain spacing, crop management, and weather on nitrate leaching to subsurface drains. J. Environ. Qual.50:627-638. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.20215">https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.20215</a></li> <li>Ghane, E., 2022. Choice of pipe material influences drain spacing and system cost in subsurface drainage design. Applied Engineering in Agriculture. 38 (1). www.doi.org/10.13031/aea.15053</li> <li>Dialameh, B., E. Ghane, 2022. Effect of water sampling strategies on the uncertainty of phosphorus load estimation in subsurface drainage discharge. Journal of Environmental Quality. 51, 377-388. www.doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.20339</li> <li>Ghane, E., B. Dialameh, Y. AbdalAal, M. Ghane, 2022. Knitted-sock geotextile envelopes increase drain inflow in subsurface drainage systems. Agricultural Water Management. 274, 107939. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2022.107939</li> <li>Tran, K., Zhang, H., McMaine, J., Zhang, X., Luo, D. 2022. 10 m crop type mapping using Sentinel-2 reflectance and 30 m cropland data layer product. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation. Volume 107. 102692. ISSN 1569-8432.</li> <li>Quintana-Ashwell, N., Gholson, D., Kaur, G., Singh, G., Massey, J., Krutz, L. J., ... & Locke, M. A. (2022). Irrigation Water Management Tools and Alternative Irrigation Sources Trends and Perceptions by Farmers from the Delta Regions of the Lower Mississippi River Basin in South Central USA. Agronomy, 12(4), 894.</li> <li>Feyereisen, G.W., Wang, H., Wang, P., Anderson, E.L., Jang, J., Ghane, E., Coulter, J.A., Rosen, C.J., Sadowsky, M.J., and Ishii, S. 2023. Carbon supplementation and bioaugmentation to improve denitrifying woodchip bioreactor performance under cold conditions. Ecol. Eng. 191:106920. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2023.106920</li> <li>Feyereisen, G.W., Ghane, E., Schumacher, T.W., Dalzell, B.J., and Williams, M.R. 2023. Can woodchip bioreactors be used at a catchment scale? Nitrate performance and sediment considerations. J. ASABE 66(2):367-379. https://doi.org/10.13031/ja.15496</li> <li>Law, J., Slade, A., Hoover, N., Feyereisen, G.W., and Soupir, M. 2023. Amending woodchip bioreactors with corncobs reduces nitrogen removal cost. J. Environ. Mgt. 330, 117135 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.117135</li> <li>Christianson, L.E., Wickramarathne, N., Johnson, G.M., and Feyereisen, G.W. 2022. No/low-cost chipped woody debris nutrient composition benefits and tradeoffs for denitrifying bioreactors. Bioresource Technol. Rep. 20:101237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biteb.2022.101237</li> <li>Mendis, S.S., R.P. Udawatta, S.H. Anderson, K.A. Nelson, and R.L Cordsiemon II. 2022. Effects of cover crops on soil moisture dynamics of a corn cropping system. Soil Security 8:100072 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soisec.2022.100072.</li> <li>Fleming, P. M., Stephenson, K., Collick, A. S., & Easton, Z. (2022). Targeting for nonpoint source pollution reduction: A synthesis of lessons learned, remaining challenges, and emerging opportunities. Journal of Environmental Management, 308. doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.114649</li> <li>Stephenson, K., Shabman, L., Shortle, J., & Easton, Z. (2022). Confronting our Agricultural Nonpoint Source Control Policy Problem. Journal Of the American Water Resources Association. doi:10.1111/1752-1688.13010</li> <li>Bagnall, D.K., C.L.S. Morgan, M. Cope, G.M. Bean, S.B. Cappellazzi, K.L.H. Greub, D. Liptzin, C.E. Norris, E.L. Rieke, P.W. Tracy, E. Aberle, O. Bañuelos Tavarez, A.I. Bary, R. L. Baumhardt, A. Borbón Gracia, D.C. Brainard, J.R. Brennan, D.B. Reyes, D. Bruhjell, C.N. Carlyle, J.H. Crawford, C.F. Creech, S.W. Culman, B. Deen, C.J. Dell, J.D. Derner, T.F. Ducey, S.W. Duiker, R.S. Dungan, M.F. Dyck, B.H. Ellert, M.H. Entz, A. Espinosa Solorio, S.J. Fonte, S. Fonteyne, A.M. Fortuna, J.L. Foster, A.J. Franzluebbers, L.M. Fultz, A.V. Gamble, C.M. Geddes, D. Griffin-LaHue, J.H. Grove, S.K. Hamilton, X. Hao, Z.D. Hayden, J.L. Heitman, N. Honsdorf, J.A. Howe, J.A. Ippolito, G.A. Johnson, M.A. Kautz, N.R. Kitchen, S. Kumar, K.S.M. Kurtz, F.J. Larney, K.L. Lewis, A.B. Leytem, M.A. Liebig, M. Liebman, A.L. Ramirez, S. Machado, B. Maharjan, M.A.M. Gamiño, W. May, M.P. McClaran, M.D. McDaniel, N. Millar, J.P. Mitchell, A. Moore, P.A. Moore Jr., M. Mora Gutiérrez, K.A. Nelson, E.C. Omondi, S.L. Osborne, D.L. Osmond, L.O. Alcalá, E.M. Pena-Yewtukhiw, H.J. Poffenbarger, B.P. Lira, J.R. Reeve, T.M. Reinbott, M. Reiter, E.L. Ritchey, K.L. Roozeboom, Y. Rui, A. Sadeghpour, U.M. Sainju, G.R. Sanford, W.F. Schillinger, R.R. Schindelbeck, M.E. Schipanski, A.J. Schlegl, K.M. Scow, L.A. Sherrod, A.L. Shober, S. Sidhu, E. Solís Moya, M. St. Luce, J.S. Strock, A.E. Suyker, V.R. Sykes, H. Tao, M.L. Thompson, A.T. Campos, L.L. Van Eerd, N. Verhulst, T.J. Vyn, D.B. Watts, B.B. William, D.L. Wright, T. Zhang, and C.W. Honeycutt. 2022.  Carbon-sensitive pedotransfer functions for plant available water.  Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 86:612-629. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20395.</li> </ol> <h2>Non-Peer Reviewed Publications, Reports, and Outreach Articles and Factsheets</h2> <ol> <li>Drainage Workshop Manual. 2022. Dickens, D., and K.A. Nelson Eds. Designing and installing subsurface agricultural drainage systems. pp. 550.</li> <li>Hanson, J., Bock, E., Asfaw, B., & Easton, Z. (2022). A systematic review of Chesapeake Bay climate change impacts and uncertainty: watershed processes, pollutant delivery and BMP performance (CBP/TRS-330-22). Chesapeake Bay Program. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/BMP-CC-synth</li> <li>Kladivko, E. J., Bowling, L. C., Chighladze, G., & Abendroth, L. 2022. Southeast Purdue Agricultural Center (SEPAC) drainage research data, 1984-2020 [Data set]. Purdue University Research Repository (PURR). Purdue University. https://doi.org/10.4231/CTM1-0Y45</li> <li>Kaur, H., Nelson, K. A., & Kaur, G. (2022) Drainage and Nitrogen Management Affects Soil Health and Soil Properties [Abstract]. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD. scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2022am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/144031</li> <li>Kaur, H., Nelson, K. A., & Kaur, G. (2022) Drainage and Nitrogen Management Affects Soil Health and Soil Properties [Abstract]. North Central Soil fertility Conference, Des Moines, IA. northcentralfertility.com/proceedings/?action=year_abstracts</li> <li>Kaur, H., Nelson, K. A., & Kaur, G. (2022) Cover Crops, Soil Moisture, and Precipitation Affect Nutrient Loss of Spring Applied Phosphorus Fertilizer. UCOWR/NIWR Annual Conference 2022, Greenville, NC.</li> <li>Kaur, H. and Nelson, K. A.  (2022) Drainage water management impacts soil properties in floodplain soils. 2022 Conservation Drainage Network Annual Meeting 2022, Fort Wayne, IN.</li> <li>Kaur, H., Nelson, K. A., & Kaur, G. (2022) Cover Crop Impacts Water Quality in a Tile-terraced No-till Field. UCOWR/NIWR Annual Conference 2022, Fort Collins, CO.</li> <li>Abendroth, L., M.J, Helmers, B.D. Reinhart, G. Chighladze, L.C. Bowling, L. Pease, M. Youssef, E. Ghane, L. Ahiablame, L. Brown, N. Fausey, J. Frankenberger, D.B. Jaynes, K. King, E.J. Kladivko, J. Strock, & K.A. Nelson. (2022) Regional and Seasonal Differences in Nitrate-N (NO3-N) Load in U.S. Agroecosystems Instrumented with Water Quality Conservation Practices. [Abstract]. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. Chicago, IL.</li> <li>Abendroth, L., A.J. Eagle, T.M. Maaz, M.J. Helmers, S.M. Brouder, Ll Christianson, B. Emmett, C. Drury, F. Fernandez, L. Gentry, D.B. Jaynes, J. Kovar, R.W. Malone, T. Moorman, K.A. Nelson, P. O'Brien, & J.J. Volenec. (2022) Use of Improved Nutrient Practices in Maize-based Agroecosystems Alter Allocation between Leaching and Denitrification Loss Pathways. [Abstract]. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. Chicago, IL.</li> <li>Zamora Re, M., Tomasek, A., Hopkins, B., Sullivan, D., and Brewer, L. 2022. Managing salt-affected soils for crop production. PNW 601, 24 pp. Oregon State University Extension, Washington State University Extension, and University of Idaho Extension.</li> </ol> Poster Presentations <ol> <li>Jannush, Javed, McMaine. Infiltration Rate Variability Across and Within Fields in the Willow Creek Watershed. October 11, 2022. South Dakota Student Water Conference, Brookings, MN. 75 participants.</li> </ol> Brandenburger, Duncan, McMaine. Drainable Porosity of an Aged Woodchip Bioreactor in South Dakota. October 11, 2022. South Dakota Student Water Conference, Brookings, MN. 75 participants. <ol start="2"> <li>Ouandaogo, Saha, McMaine. Relationship between tillage practices and wet aggregate stability, organic matter, and bulk density. October 11, 2022. South Dakota Student Water Conference, Brookings, MN. 75 participants.</li> <li>Javed, Adalikwu, Sahraei, McMaine. Analysis of SCS-Curve Numbers Coupled with GIS Approach by Using Soil Moisture Sensors Data for Willow Creek Watershed’s Agricultural Fields. October 11, 2022. South Dakota Student Water Conference, Brookings, MN. 75 participants.</li> <li>Hentges, Hurst, McMaine. Nitrate Loss in Tile Drainage Outflow in Eastern South Dakota. October 11, 2022. South Dakota Student Water Conference, Brookings, MN. 75 participants.</li> <li>Brandenburger, Duncan, McMaine. Woodchip Analysis of an Aged Woodchip Bioreactor in South Dakota. July 13-14, 2022. Climate Intersections Conference, Duluth MN. 150 participants.</li> <li>Jannusch, Saha, McMaine. Analysis of Curve Number Under Different Management Practices. July 13-14, 2022. Climate Intersections Conference, Duluth MN. 150 participants.</li> <li>Hentges, Hurst, Almen, McMaine. Investigation of Nitrate in Tile Drainage in Eastern South Dakota. July 13-14, 2022. Climate Intersections Conference, Duluth MN. 150 participants.</li> <li>Ouandaogo, Saha, McMaine. The Influence of Agricultural Practices on Aggregate Stability. July 13-14, 2022. Climate Intersections Conference, Duluth MN. 150 participants.</li> <li>Javed, McMaine, Sahraei, Adalikwu. Analysis of SCS-Curve numbers coupled with GIS approach by using soil moisture sensors data for Willow Creek Watershed’s agricultural fields. July 13-14, 2022. Climate Intersections Conference, Duluth MN. 150 participants.</li> <li>Saha, McMaine. Impact of crop rotation, no-till, and cover crops on steady state infiltration rate and soil’s wet aggregate stability. April 27, 2022. Western South Dakota Hydrology Conference. 40 participants</li> <li>Hurst, McMaine. Nitrate in Tile Drainage Effluent in Eastern South Dakota. April 6, 2022. Conservation Drainage Network Annual Meeting, Fort Wayne, IN. 100 participants.</li> <li>Almen, McMaine. Creating a Roadmap to Resilience: An Overview of the Willow Creek Watershed Project. April 6, 2022. Conservation Drainage Network Annual Meeting, Fort Wayne, IN. 100 participants.</li> <li>Breza, L., Moore, J., Tomasek, A., and Trippe, K. 2022. Is subsurface drainage a “drain” on soil carbon storage? Soil Ecology Society Biennial Meeting. Richland, WA. May 2022.</li> </ol> <h2>Outreach Events, Podcasts, Videos, and Non-Peer Reviewed Outreach Tools</h2> <ol> <li>Reinhart, B., J. Frankenberger, E. Ghane. C. Hay, J. McMaine, L. Abendroth. 2022. Tools to inform and transform drainage. Purdue University Extension ABE 164-W. West Lafayette, IN.</li> <li>Reinhart, B. and J. Frankenberger. 2022. Potential benefits of drainage water recycling: A case study from Indiana. Purdue University Extension ABE 165-W. West Lafayette, IN.</li> <li>Eastern South Dakota Water Conference. Brookings, SD. October 12, 2022. McMaine served as Chair of organizing committee. Featured guest panel of five phosphorus experts from four states. Attendance was 86.</li> <li>South Dakota Student Water Conference. Brookings, SD. October 11, 2022. McMaine served as Chair of organizing committee. 44 accepted student abstracts from 7 states and 10 universities.</li> <li>International Drainage Symposium. Des Moines, IA. August 30, 2022 to September 2, 2022. Helmers was Co-Chair for the organizing committee, McMaine served as Co-chair of the program committee. Attended by 206 from 12 countries and 22 states.</li> <li>South Dakota Watershed Academy. Oak Lake, SD. August 4, 2022. McMaine assisted in content creation and planning as well as day of logistics. Attendance was 10 NRCS District Conservationists.</li> <li>Monitoring and Tools for Technical Assistance Providers. Brookings, SD. June 22, 2022. McMaine co-organized with Kristen Blann (The Nature Conservancy) and Philip Adalikwu (SDSU). Attendance was 35 consisting of extension faculty and staff, NRCS staff, non-profit staff, and other technical assistance providers.</li> </ol> Presentations <ol> <li>Duncan, McMaine. Particle Characterization of a Failed Denitrifying Woodchip Bioreactor. International Drainage Symposium. Des Moines, IA. August 31, 2022. 25 participants.</li> <li>McMaine, Ahiablame, Kjaersgaard, Amegbletor, Hay, Trooien, McDaniel, Kulkarni, Maursetter. Long-term Nitrate Removal Performance of Four Woodchip Bioreactors in Eastern South Dakota. International Drainage Symposium. Des Moines, IA. August 31, 2022. 20 participants.</li> <li>McMaine, Hurst, Karki, Trooien, Hay, Kjaersgaard. Impacts of Subsurface Drainage on Water Yield and Opportunities for Controlled Drainage in Eastern South Dakota. International Drainage Symposium. Des Moines, IA. August 31, 2022. 15 participants.</li> <li>Saha, McMaine. Impact of Crop Rotation, No-Till, and Cover Crops on Soil Physical and Hydraulic Properties in Southeastern South Dakota. July 31 to August 2, 2022. Soil and Water Conservation Society Annual Meeting. Denver, CO.</li> <li>Saha, McMaine. Impact of crop rotation, no-till, and cover crops on soil physical and hydraulic properties in south eastern, South Dakota. July 19, 2022. Annual International Meeting, American Society of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineers. Houston, TX. 30 participants.</li> <li>McMaine, DeLong, Hougham, Downing, Edwards, Jia, Meehan, Merrifield, North, Schmidt, Trooien, Nardi, Power. Preparing the next generation of extension water stewards. July 13-14, 2022. Climate Intersections Conference. Duluth MN. 50 participants.</li> <li>Adalikwu, McMaine, Blann, Almen. Roadmap to water resilience – Valuing water as a resource for improved agricultural land profitability and reduction of downstream flood risk. July 13-14, 2022. Climate Intersections Conference, Duluth MN. 50 participants.</li> <li>Almen, Hurst, McMaine. Tile Drainage Water Quality in Eastern South Dakota. Western South Dakota Hydrology Conference. Rapid City, SD. April 27, 2022. 50 participants.</li> <li>McMaine, Vogel, McLemore, Brown, Paredes. A simple procedure for optimized selection of low impact development practices and area treated at the watershed scale based on user-defined criteria. Western South Dakota Hydrology Conference. Rapid City, SD. April 27, 2022. 50 participants.</li> <li>McMaine, J. South Dakota State Drainage Research and Outreach. April 6, 2022. Conservation Drainage Network Annual Meeting, Fort Wayne, IN. 100 participants.</li> <li>McMaine, J. Long term Performance and Failure of Bioreactors in Eastern South Dakota. April 6, 2022. Conservation Drainage Network Annual Meeting, Fort Wayne, IN. 100 participants.</li> <li>McMaine, J. Understand the Other ET: Evapotranspiration on Terra Firma. January 4, 2022. Kentucky Vegetable Growers Association Annual Meeting, Bowling Green, KY. 30 participants.</li> <li>McMaine, J. Water Challenges for Produce Growers: Quantity and Quality. January 4, 2022. Kentucky Vegetable Growers Association Annual Meeting, Bowling Green, KY. 6 participants.</li> <li>McMaine, J. Rainwater Harvesting for High Tunnels. January 4, 2022. Kentucky Vegetable Growers Association Annual Meeting, Bowling Green, KY. 20 participants.</li> <li>Roadmap to Water Resilience: Water Quality and Quantity Research in Eastern South Dakota. South Dakota Soil and Water Conservation Society August Chapter Meeting. August 24, 2022.</li> <li>McMaine, J. Water Quality and Animal Waste Management. June 29, 2022. Livestock Environmental Training. Huron, SD. 25 participants.</li> <li>Adalikwu, McMaine, Blann. June 21, 2022. Using HEC-HMS to Model Peak Flow Reductions in a HUC-12 Watershed. Modeling and Tools for Technical Assistance Providers Workshop. Brookings, SD. June 21, 2022. 25 participants.</li> <li>Sahraei, Blann, Adalikwu, McMaine. June 21, 2022. Spreadsheet Calculators for Calculating Water Storage at the Field-Scale. Modeling and Tools for Technical Assistance Providers Workshop. Brookings, SD. 25 participants.</li> <li>McMaine, Blann, Adalikwu. Modeling for More Effective Water Management. Minnehaha Farm Bureau, Monthly Meeting. Brandon, SD. June 20, 2022. 25 participants.</li> <li>McMaine, Kringen. Managing Soil Moisture. March 1, 2022. Webinar, Crop Hour with SDSU Extension. 40 participants.</li> <li>Nelson, K.A. 2022. Subirrigation systems.  Drainage Contractor Webinar. Online. 9 Feb.</li> <li>Nelson, K.A. 2022. Subsurface drainage water management. Nevada, MO. 18 Feb.</li> <li>Nelson, K.A. 2022. Subsurface drainage water management. Cairo, MO. 18 Feb.</li> <li>Nelson, K.A. 2022. MUDS update. Drainage Workshop. Nevada, MO 22 Feb.</li> <li>Nelson, K.A., G. Singh, and M. Davis. Missouri Station Report. NCERA-217. Ft. Wayne, IN. 6 Apr.</li> <li>Nelson, K.A. Drainage water management systems. GRC Advisory Board. Novelty, MO 15 Apr.</li> <li>Singh, G., and K.A. Nelson. New practices for water quality enhancement. Conservation Training, Missouri Soil and Water Conservation Program. Lake Ozark, MO. 28 Nov.</li> <li>Nelson, K.A. 2022. Agronomy research update and highlights.  Northern Missouri REEC. Spickard, MO. 14 Dec.</li> <li>Nelson, K.A. 2022. Innovative inlets for soil and water conservation.  Crop Management Conference.  Columbia, MO. 15 Dec.</li> <li>Tomasek, A., Soil Management for Water and Nutrient Retention, 63rd Annual Far West Agribusiness Association, Boise, Idaho, December, 2022.</li> <li>Tomasek, A. Advances in Social Justice and Resiliency in Water Resources. Goldschmidt Conference, Honolulu, HI, July 2022.</li> <li>Tomasek, A. Canby Field Day, Water Quality session, North Willamette Research and Extension Center (NWREC), June 2, 2022. 350 attendees.</li> <li>Tomasek, A. Water Quality, 2022 OSU Extension Service Coffee Hour, Zoom, February 23, 2022. 20 attendees.</li> <li>Kladivko, A., Frankenberger, J. Drainage Pays: Impacts on timeliness, crop yields, soil health, and nitrate leaching.” Howard Co., IN. Feb 15, 2022</li> <li>Frankenberger, J. Conservation Technology Conference in Ada, OH, “Drainage Pays”. March 8-9, 2022</li> <li>Frankenberger, J. Drainage Water Recycling. Overholt Drainage School, The Ohio State University, March 18, 2022 (Virtual)</li> <li>Frankenberger, J. Science Assessment to Support the Indiana State Nutrient Reduction Strategy (with Julie Harrold). Indiana Water Resources Association meeting, Nashville, Indiana. June 22, 2022.</li> <li>Frankenberger, J. Making Drainage Decisions. Purdue Extension Putnam County, Greencastle. June 17, 2022.</li> <li>Frankenberger, J. Transforming Drainage: Working Together Across the Midwest to Increase Resiliency of Drained Agricultural Land. Iowa Learning Farms Webinar. July 6, 2022. (https://vimeo.com/showcase/9528614/video/727865346)</li> </ol>

Impact Statements

Awards - Shelby (Duncan) Meeker, majoring in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at South Dakota State University and advised by John McMaine, was the Distinguished Thesis Award recipient for Mathematics, Physical Sciences, and Engineering from the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools. Her thesis was titled, "Assessment of Aged Woodchip Bioreactor Physical and Hydraulic Properties." Shelby's MS research was conducted in collaboration with several NCERA-217 members including Laura Christianson and Gary Feyereisen. - Four drainage-related products produced by NCERA-217 members received 2022 ASABE Educational Aids Blue Ribbon Awards, including: o Streamlines Podcast—Conservation Drainage Season,” South Dakota State University. The Streamlines podcast series is hosted by John McMaine and features interviews with several NCERA-217 members. o Conservation Drainage—Storing Water in the Landscape video series, South Dakota State University. The video series featured content from the Transforming Drainage project which included work from many NCERA-217 members. o The Web-Based Computer Program: Drain Spacing Tool by Ehsan Ghane from Michigan State University. o Monitoring Magic: Woodchip Bioreactor Water Monitoring Videos for Volunteers by Laura Christianson and colleagues from Univ. of Illinois and the Illinois Farm Bureau.

Date of Annual Report: 08/04/2024

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 04/03/2024 - 04/05/2024
Period the Report Covers: 01/01/2023 - 12/31/2024

Participants

In-person: Abigal Tomasek, Oregon State University; Laura Christianson, University of Minnesota; Jane Frankenberger, Purdue University; Eileen Kladivko, Purdue University; Ehsan Ghane , Michigan State University; Lindsay Pease, University of Minnesota; Jeppe Kjaersgaard, University of Minnesota; John McMaine, South Dakota State University, Steven Hall, University of Wisconsin; Mallika Nocco, University of Wisconsin; Sushant Mehan, South Dakota State University; Tyler Groh, Penn State University; Zach Easton, Virginia Tech; Ramesh Kanwar, Iowa State University; Vinayak Shedekar, Ohio State University; Xinhua Jia, North Dakota State University. Attending on-line: Kelly Nelson, University of Missouri; Gary Hawkins, University of Georgia. Matt Helmers, Iowa State University, Luciano Alves de Oliviera, University of Illinois

Brief Summary of Minutes

The annual meeting was held in conjunction with the Conservation Drainage Network, a broad-based group that NCERA-217 had a key role in forming and which NCERA-217 members continue to lead. The 2024 Conservation Drainage Network Annual Meeting had 170 participants and is described in more detail under “Accomplishments” in this report. The NCERA-217 business meeting was held at 7 am April 4 with 20 people in attendance, listed at the top of this document. Administrative Advisor Kanwar informed attendees that the new proposal was approved with excellent reviews, and will begin October 2024. He suggested strategies for interacting with drainage partners and those who focus on sustainability. Tyler Groh of Penn State was nominated to become Vice-Chair and voted in unanimously. Group impacts were discussed, along with suggestions for improving future documentation. The group decided that the 2025 meeting will be held in Illinois.

Accomplishments

<h2>Short-term outcomes</h2> NCERA-217 members led the success of the Conservation Drainage Network, a national partnership that works to improve drainage practices to reduce adverse environmental impacts while meeting future crop production needs. The CDN Organizing Committee consists of 11 members representing industry, non-profits, state agencies, and committee chairs, as well as four federal agency advisors. NCERA-217 members maintained the website (https://conservationdrainage.net/ ) and mailing list, as well as leading several of the committees. These committees support the Network accomplishing its mission of advancing conservation drainage including conducting and summarizing research, sharing information about industry innovations, advising conservation practice standard development, informing policy making, coordinating education and outreach activities, and driving implementation. The successful Conservation Drainage Network is a major outcomes of NCERA-217. Annual Meeting: NCERA-217 members joined with partners from the federal, state, and local agencies as well as the drainage industry and other private sector, to plan and hold the 2024 Conservation Drainage Network Annual Meeting. The meeting brought together 148 participants in person and 22 online, including 19 students, many of whom presented posters at an evening session. Speakers included NRCS Regional Conservationist Kasey Taylor, as well as speakers from the Ohio Department of Agriculture, Advanced Drainage Systems, USEPA, and numerous other agencies and companies that play an important role in advancing conservation drainage. Two field trips took participants to informative drainage sites around Ohio. Feedback showed that 87% of respondents rated how much they learned at the meeting as high or very high. Many participants described how they plan to use the information, with several listing specific practices they will use or promote as a result of what they learned, as well as sharing information with others in their agency. The networking was rated as useful or very useful to 92% of respondents, and several wrote about new contacts they had made and projects they began planning. <h2>Outputs</h2> NCERA-217 members authored 32 peer-reviewed journal articles and 11 peer-reviewed Extension publications on topics related to agricultural drainage and its impacts on crop yield, water quality, and related research. These are listed in the separate Publications document. In 2023, a total of 19 webinars related to drainage and drainage water quality topics as part of the Iowa Learning Farms Conservation webinar series. There have been 4944 combined live and archived views of these webinars. NCERA-217 members developed a modular drainage curriculum called “Filling the Pipeline: Agricultural Drainage Education to Meet 21st Century Water Management Needs” (<a href="https://transformingdrainage.org/drainage-course/)%20">https://transformingdrainage.org/drainage-course/)</a> to educate students or professionals to meet the growing need for next-generation drainage strategies.  The 14 learning modules were developed by a team of drainage researchers and educators led by Jane Frankenberger and Laura Christianson. They will enable students at any university to benefit from leading-edge drainage knowledge sought by employers. They can also be used by drainage professionals, to gain a deeper understanding of drainage principles, to update their design methods,  and to learn to plan the newer conservation drainage practices. The three-day Michigan drainage workshop led by Ehsan Ghane had attendees from other states in the region including Ohio, Wisconsin, and Missouri. Based on the survey after the workshop, 77% of  respondents said that they plan on changing their operation because of the workshop, and 95% said the “workshop increased their knowledge a great deal.” The profitability impact of the drainage workshop was also estimated through the survey, with 100% of  respondents saying that they expect to gain an average $16/ac increased income because of the skills learned at the workshop. A new Landscape and Drainage Water Management web-site was initiated in Missouri:  <a href="https://extension.missouri.edu/programs/landscape-and-drainage-water-management">https://extension.missouri.edu/programs/landscape-and-drainage-water-management</a> <h3>Activities</h3> In Georgia, Gary Hawkins provided drainage presentations to 50 county extension agents so they are better informed as to how to assist homeowners.  Drainage was part of three presentations which focused on water quality and covered both homeowner and agricultural participants, with 105 persons in attendance.  He conducted multiple (12) on-site visits with Extension Agents to look at and provide recommendations for drainage in both homeowner and agricultural locations. In Iowa, Matt Helmers continued to provide timely presentations on the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy and drainage water quality practices. Weekly webinars were implemented with the Iowa Learning Farms. There were 19 webinars in 2023 that touched on drainage and drainage water quality. From these there have been 4944 combined live and archived views. The audience for this multi-state and actually international.  As part of one of the Iowa Learning Farms programs they are providing edge of field practice referrals to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and in the past three years have provided 337 referrals.

Publications

Impact Statements

n Missouri, improved drainage water management (DWM) has increased corn and soybean yields over 20%, while subirrigation systems have increased crop yields up to 40%. DWM has reduced nutrient losses in drainage water flow or gaseous loss up to 80%. Kelly Nelson’s drainage water management program utilizes integrated systems including subsurface tile drainage, cover crops, conservation practices, and new technology to enhance nutrient use efficiency and increase food production.
The Virginia Dept of Environmental Quality (VDEQ) has proposed as many as 100 legacy N remediating bioreactors to be installed in an effort to meet their TMDL requirements, in part based on Zach Easton’s work monitoring bioreactors. Virginia has also recently approved a $5,000,000 a pay-for-performance pilot program, a direct result of data his group has provided, to spur innovation in non-point source programs, bioreactors are assumed to be a natura fit for pay-for-performance programs because of the ease with which N reductions can be quantified.
NCERA-217 participants from Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota supported the inclusion of conservation drainage in their State Nutrient Reduction Strategies. They are working with their state agency staff and researchers at other universities and USDA-ARS within the state, and also meet together as the Midwest Nutrient Effectiveness discussion group, to quantify nutrient reductions. The impact is that the State Nutrient Reduction Strategies will have a stronger science base for selection of the most effective conservation practices in drained landscapes, which is expected to lead to improved nutrient reductions in surface water. These efforts have elevated the visibility of conservation drainage with state and federal agencies, who now regularly consider conservation drainage practices to address nutrient concerns.
In Iowa, continued drainage water quality monitoring at five drainage water quality research facilities across Iowa has advanced our understanding of the role that the 4Rs of Nitrogen Management play in nitrate-N reduction. Researchers have found that split application of nitrogen has the potential to reduce nitrate-N losses based on six years of study at the Northwest Research Farm. Also, they found that even with no nitrogen application they only reduce nitrate concentration and loss by about 40%.
Iowa is also expanding work on drainage water recycling, monitoring the crop production and water quality at three sites in 2023. The site near Story City, IA that has had supplemental irrigation from drainage water recycling since 2016 showed that the supplemental irrigation increased corn yield by 43 bu/acre on average in the years when supplemental irrigation was used.