Smart Agricultural Drainage Systems Workshop
Northwest Research Farm
6320 500th Street
Sutherland, IA 51058

Iowa Learning Farms, in partnership with Iowa State University and Michigan State University, will host a smart agricultural drainage system workshop from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday at the Northwest Research Farm near Sutherland. We welcome farmers and landowners to attend these free workshops and join us for a complimentary meal.

Tile drainage is among the most important land use improvements for agriculture with about 50% of Iowa’s cropland having systems installed. Drained croplands produce a disproportionately large amount of grain compared to total croplands, but also deliver a disproportionately large amount of nitrate to downstream waterways. A new smart agricultural drainage system project is exploring the use of new robotic and sensor technology to inform the need to balance the effects of drainage on productivity, profitability, and environmental quality.

The workshop will be hosted by Dr. Jacqueline Comito, Iowa Learning Farms Director, Dr. Mike Castellano, ISU William T. Frankenberger Professor of soil science, Dr. Hongli Feng, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics and Center for Agricultural & Rural Development (CARD), Dr. Liang Dong, Director of Microelectronics Research Center and Vikram L. Dalal Professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Dr. Xiaobo Tan, MSU Research Foundation Professor & Richard M. Hong Endowed Chair of electrical engineering.

The events are free and open to farmers and landowners, though we require reservations to ensure adequate space and food. Attendees will enjoy a complimentary meal and be entered in a drawing for ISU Prairie Strips honey. For reasonable accommodations and to RSVP, please contact Liz Ripley at 515-294-5429 or ilf@iastate.edu. 

This workshop is supported by U.S. National Science Foundation award 2125484. Iowa Learning Farms field days and workshops are also supported by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.