Blog Keywords

A flooded farm field with dark looming clouds overhead.

Farm Drainage Series Part 8: A USDA certified wetland review is required before altering farm drainage

May 19, 2026

Most farmers and absentee landowners who own or farm cropland in Illinois rely on the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) benefit programs. These programs serve as a safety net to keep farm operations economically viable and motivate them to adopt environmentally friendly farming...

Finish this story

Freshly harvested corn pushes out of a combine with blue sky and wispy clouds in background

Farm Drainage Series Part 7: Farmers Incentivizing Landowners to make Tile Improvements

May 5, 2026

Farm Coach

Farm drainage tile systems in Illinois have aged, leaving many farms poorly drained, resulting in lower crop yields. Upgrading farm drainage systems faces many hurdles, but landowners' reluctance to invest in tile improvements is the primary obstacle. This reluctance on the part of landowners...

Finish this story

A farmer in cap and coveralls is bent over looking at a broken tile and water.

Farm Drainage Series Part 6: Repairing and Maintaining Farm Tile Systems

April 14, 2026

Farm Coach

This article is not to be construed as legal advice. Consult with your legal advisor before entering tile agreements.Contractors design modern farm drainage-tile installations to last for many decades. Some older systems are approaching and exceeding 100 years old. Hiring an experienced,...

Finish this story

A tile contractor uses a backhoe loader to aid installation of a large tile main, with dirt road on left and farm field on the right.

Farm Drainage Series Part 5: Challenges Installing Drainage Tile Mains — Railroads, Highways, and Others

March 27, 2026

This article is not to be construed as legal advice. Consult with your legal advisor before entering tile agreements.Installing the necessary drainage tile on your farm often requires a tile main to direct water through an underground drain tile system and then through a neighbor’s...

Finish this story

An excavator clears tree roots in a farm field with large shrub and blue sky in background.

Farm Drainage Series: Part 4 - Negotiating a Mutual Farm Tile Project: A Joint Tile Main Case Study

March 23, 2026

Farm Coach

Note: This article is not to be construed as legal advice. Consult with your legal advisor before entering tile agreements. Improving farm drainage tiles in Illinois can be very challenging because most farmland is owned by absentee landowners rather than by the farmer. Owners...

Finish this story

An old red barn sits in a partially flooded corn field while gray clouds loom overhead.

Farm Drainage Series – Part 3: A Tile Main Multi-Farm Project

October 20, 2025

Farm Coach

Draining excess water from farm fields in Illinois is vital to food and renewable fuel production. However, the lack of adequate farm drainage is a serious problem. Many older farm drainage systems are still in place but are past their viable economic use value due to being obsolete, inefficient,...

Finish this story

Photo shows wide shot of unplanted farm field with the far 2-3 foot edge flooded with rainwater. On the horizon a few trees, blue sky and some billowy clouds are visible.

Farm Drainage Series - Part 2: Why are there so many Ponded Farm Fields?

September 11, 2025

Farm Coach

When heavy rains result in ponded fields, the cause is poor drainage. Old field tiles in poor condition and/or undersized cannot efficiently remove excess water fast enough. When left unaddressed, the problem will worsen over time, resulting in compacted fields and lower yields. Fixing the...

Finish this story

Historical black & white photo depicts large muddy farm field being dredged with equipment, many horses and people.

Farm Drainage Series – Part 1: The need for farm drainage and the current problem

August 18, 2025

Farm Coach

Farm drain tiles are vitally crucial to the success of Illinois crop production. These underground drainage systems help provide good soil-based crop growing conditions by removing excess water from the soil. A balanced mixture of air, water, and soil is crucial for plant health, as excessive...

Finish this story

Blog Keywords

Drainage Blogs