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Jeffrey Nazuka

The Future of Holistic Drainage Management

Farmland capital improvements and field drainage can be a huge risk for farmers and landowners, if they don’t take the proper course of action. Taking a holistic approach to water management solutions is integral to providing the most equitable and proper solution for the farm.


Water management is a long-term investment, so it is important to have experts that can serve as long term partners and pledge to support the landowner or farmer throughout the entire process. Hear from DIGS Associates’ co-founders Corey Getz and Quint Shambaugh on the benefits of taking a proactive, holistic approach to drainage management by considering production, profits, and conservation.


Ready for your farmland improvement now? Place your order today.


Improving Production with Custom Solutions

A professionally designed drainage system is vital for increased production. Reducing water-based issues in the field allows your crop to perform at its best. By installing a drainage system specifically designed for your field’s needs, you can solve issues like:

  • Nutrient loss

  • Soil compaction

  • Shallow root systems

  • Standing water damage

  • Untimely field operations

  • Crop loss

To have your drainage project completed right, it’s important to invest in professional consultants and engineers who can get the job done with speed and accuracy. At DIGS Associates, we engineer drainage projects that are tailored to each field. Our proprietary software surveys all land – regardless of field conditions – in a matter of minutes, which enables us to quickly understand every inch of a client’s land, and design a plan uniquely tailored to their field.

An image showing heavy machinery digging large trenches in an open field, representing professionally-engineered subsurface tile installation.
DIGS Associates consulted, engineered, managed, and facilitated a subsurface pattern tile solution.

Measuring Boosted Profits

Once your drainage solution is installed and performing, it is important to track the effectiveness it provides. One of the best ways to track the ROI of your drainage project is to measure in-field profits and establish quality correlations between the drainage and field profits.


As pioneers in the industry, we were looking for a streamlined platform that helps our clients make educated decisions about their farm data management. Therefore, we partnered with PROFIT LAYERS®, which creates location-based profit maps and provides analysis tools designed for maximum understanding of profit drivers at the field and farm level. Users can hop on PROFIT LAYERS® to compare multiple maps and data sources to establish quality inferences and identify solutions for areas with drainage issues.


A landscape image of three bare fields with parallel trenches dug into them, as seen from a vantage point hundreds of feet in the air. The parallel trenches across the fields represent a holistic watershed project facilitated by professional drainage management consultants.
DIGS Associates developed a community solution and managed the expectations from multiple landowners.

One factor that is often overlooked when implementing drainage solutions is a farm’s valuation. Farms with appropriately executed water management systems tend to have higher land values and more appeal to farm operators. Considering land value as part of a holistic drainage management approach is important because appreciated value leads to higher profits during a sale and increased rents from operators.


Enhancing Conservation

The benefits of a drainage project don’t stop at the farm finances. Proper drainage can have a dramatic impact on conservation by reducing erosion, pesticide runoff, and herbicide and fertilizer loss. Considering conservation as part of a holistic drainage management approach will reduce your farm’s overall impacts on the surrounding environment.

A landscape image of two bare fields with a large curving pathway carving through the middle. The pathway is a waterway and pattern tile system, put into place to carry out a plan for conservation practices and production agriculture.
DIGS Associates engineered and facilitated a plan for conservation practices and production agriculture with this waterway and pattern tile system.

Drainage projects from DIGS Associates have the flexibility to incorporate conservation techniques with proper engineering, including nitrogen and phosphorus remediation. With assistance from DIGS engineering services, achieving your ESG goals can be a part of any farm improvement project.


As unbiased third-party consultants, we oversee all aspects of a water management project. Ultimately, It’s our job to ensure that our clients are getting the most out of their investments. Taking a holistic approach, when looking at your farm’s drainage and water management, can help you see a variety of benefits from your drainage investments.

 

Ready for a drainage and water management consultation? Get started today by submitting a no-obligation order.


DIGS Associates is an experienced group of professionals and water industry insiders maximizing client investment by offering objective advice and solutions. DIGS Associates uses their patent pending software and years of practical and engineering experience to quickly understand every inch of a client’s land and design a plan uniquely tailored to their field.


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