Dust storms in Illinois.

[Howboutthemdawgs]

Don’t confuse my dislike for a drain tile as a validation for other water control methods. As I was saying it’s just one more cut from the sword the contributes to a lot of environmental problems. Development being the largest contributor. Pavement is the biggest culprit in my opinion.

But maybe if a farmer is gonna tile his ground he should have to get a permit and engineer water retention ponds like other industries have to do? Sucks but it’s sucks for other folks too. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander or some bs like that.

 

[SD51555]

Ask yourself this. Should we even be growing corn and beans? It wasn’t too many years ago we grew livestock and produced meat and dairy products.

Think about where all the corn and beans go in the production system. As we have barreled down the path of a corn, soy, and enriched wheat flour based food and energy system, what have our outcomes been?


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[Mortenson]

The bigger town we farm by has gotten away from those retention ponds. Seems businesses didn't like to mow them, then they'd grow up in marshy weeds and occasionally hold stagnant water breeding mosquitoes and thousands of geese if bad enough. I'm just thinking of smaller developments. Industry probably still has to use them I'd imagine. Seems town folk didn't like the marshes by their homes, just as farmers don't like them in their fields, especially when paying $70+/ac in taxes. If it's a true wetland, ya can't tile it anyhow, or else you lose your farmer welfare.

Don't forget, a lot of these tiles were hand dug by landowners over 100 years ago. It's not a new concept. I realize most the guys here are trying to turn their properties into wetlands, so I know we're at odds.

 

[T-Max]

The bigger town we farm by has gotten away from those retention ponds. Seems businesses didn't like to mow them, then they'd grow up in marshy weeds and occasionally hold stagnant water breeding mosquitoes and thousands of geese if bad enough. I'm just thinking of smaller developments. Industry probably still has to use them I'd imagine. Seems town folk didn't like the marshes by their homes, just as farmers don't like them in their fields, especially when paying $70+/ac in taxes. If it's a true wetland, ya can't tile it anyhow, or else you lose your farmer welfare.

Don't forget, a lot of these tiles were hand dug by landowners over 100 years ago. It's not a new concept. I realize most the guys here are trying to turn their properties into wetlands, so I know we're at odds.

I hear you. I have the luxury of not needing my land to produce maximum profit. That being said, when I see the big farmer down the road who farms 3,000 acres tear out every tree and shrub down to the stream bank to farm 3 more acres and install tile for another 1.5 acres so he can now farm 3,004.5 acres? Poor guy could only afford a $100,000 truck before. Wonder what he can have now? All with complete disregard for the long term effects.


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[Mortenson]

I agree. Farmers need to do a better job. I'm hesitant to critique a farm based on acreage. Like is that 3,000 acre farm actually 3 families hacking it out on rented land? Do they have a landlord demanding any of that stuff? But yeah if it's some bto just running around rich and taking every inch it's a bad deal.

 

[Turkish]

These topics really temper my libertarian leanings.

 

[Foggy47]

I can remember the Hayday's of ditching and draining the wetlands in southern Minnesota. Back then we would road hunt for pheasants (I know) and my dad would point out all the potholes that used to be there and we would see all the county ditches being put in. Almost every farm had some marsh land, wet pasture land, or pot hole(s) at one time. I'd guess that less than 1/2 of Southern MN was row crop farmland back then. Instead, farmers were well diversified with hogs, milk cows, maybe some steers, always chickens and sometimes sheep and goats. Also, now about 1 farm grove in 5 remains.....as the farms have become so much bigger. Those groves held lots of wildlife as well.

The policies of fence row to fence row farming really disturbed me when growing up. Still does today....almost as much as extreme tillage. No place for wildlife to live. It's too bad that a certain % of each farm was not retained in the wetlands or conservation efforts of some type. I used to tease farmers: "why don't you tile out the Minnesota River and plant soybeans in it ?" Grin.