News

Newburg hosts tiling symposium that offers a new way to tile with efficient outcomes

By Scott Wagar

07/01/2014

Bob Meiners, president and CEO of AGREM LLC, was in Newburg on Wednesday morning to present a symposium on a new tiling method he has created which keeps agricultural producers’ costs low but maximizes their profits with no danger to the environment.

Through the most advanced technology known in the ag industry at the present moment, Meiners has created a tiling system that not only allows producers to drain their fields of water, but allows them to store the water in a reservoir and reutilize the water in the summer months to provide water for their crops through a subirrigation system.

“AGREM offers the latest in field tile drainage design, the AGREM contoured drainage system. Unlike systematic or grid tile drainage designs, AGREM contoured drainage systems are designed according to your field’s topology. By placing tile along the contours, our tile intercepts the flow of water in your field, thereby maximizing the effectiveness of the tile installed in removing excess water,” said Meiners, whose company is headquartered in Anchor, Ill. “Additionally, AGREM’s contoured drainage systems can be upgraded to AGREM controlled drainage systems or AGREM subirrigation systems, allowing for long term expansion of your water management needs.”

MAPPING

Finding the correct topography and contour of the fields is conducted through using sub-centimeter accurate RTK systems on a lightweight vehicle like a four-wheeler.  

“AGREM field technicians will systematically survey your field taking thousands of points in order to create the best possible topographical map,” Meiners said. “With this map, drainage and irrigation designs can me made.

The first requirement for any water management system to work properly is a good design. Regardless of the type of system you need, AGREM will provide you with the highest quality design available today. We design random, surface, pattern, contoured and drainage controlled systems and subirrigation systems. Whichever system you desire, we will provide,” Meiners continued. “The most advanced water management systems are AGREM contoured drainage and subirrigation systems. AGREM contoured systems place tile perpendicular to water flow on the contours of your field.

This allows a constant water table throughout your field. These systems not only drain your field more effectively, but also allow for superior controlled drainage and subirrigation.”

SPACING
   
When it comes to AGREM’s spacing of tile in the field, they space their tile lines 15 feet apart and follow the contours of the land at a depth of two feet. The company normally uses a three and one-quarter inch coefficient tiling size when it comes to drainage, which allows producers to drain three and one-quarter acre water inches in 24 hours.  

 When it comes to the percolation effect, AGREM’s 15 foot spacing works best for any type of soil, which includes the clay type soil in North Dakota.

“You don’t have to be concerned about the different type of soils,” Meiners said.  

AGREM also stated that the 15 foot spacing grants owners the opportunity to dispense water when they are subirrigating at a quick pace, and it doesn’t leave an underground lake like the older version of subirrigation.

DEPTH

The reasoning behind the two foot depth with the tiling is because it gets water to the roots of crop plat at a faster rate when subirrigating.

“With the older tiles, where land owners went down three to four feet, nitrates in the soil were sent down stream,” Meiners said.

“At two feet, we are going to remove fewer nitrates in the ground than at three to four feet.”

STUDIES
      
AGREM has had numerous universities study his drainage and subirrigation system, which found that the systems drains and dispenses water better than old tiling systems, along with improved nitrates control and produces good yields for producers.

AGREM has local representatives in the area that will assist land owners in receiving the proper work that needs to be done for the company’s tillage program.   

For more information about AGREM water management services, call (309) 530-9270 or (309) 723-3231. Individuals can also e-mail AGREM at agrem@agrem.com or visit www.agregem.com.