Tile Trials Show Big Gains in the Mississippi Delta

It started with a simple question: Can adding a water management system in the soil types of the Mississippi Delta help farmers save time and money? We knew the answer could have big implications for crop versatility and a farmer’s return on investment across a wide area of the South.

Two years into monitoring the results, the yields, reduced water use potential and crop health clearly demonstrate the benefit of agricultural field tiling in the Delta.

The Lowdown

The ADS Delta Farm Trials began in 2022 at Miles Farms in McGehee, Arkansas. Matt Miles, a fourth-generation farmer and XtremeAg member, worked with ADS to install a custom water management system for his farmland. The trial includes pattern tiling to remove excess water in a timely fashion and experiments with using those same tile lines for subsurface irrigation — a method that pumps water back into the soil through the tile lines for irrigation.

“This goes a lot deeper than research alone,” said Darla Huff, director of agriculture at ADS. “We hope to discover complex benefits that can potentially change the way farmers in the South raise their crops, to provide for their families and ours.”

Investigating this practice in the South requires looking beyond the typical benefits drainage water management provides. The challenges and variables in this region are vastly different than the Midwest.

We wanted to know: How much is a consistent earlier plant date worth? In an area where 95% of crops are irrigated, how much could reducing water use increase a farmer’s profitability while also protecting the aquifer? What’s the improvement in nutrient availability for a crop with the aeration that tiling provides?

“If we can provide a farmer with a practice that enhances profitability for their operation and serves as a conservation benefit, that is a win-win that isn’t seen very often in agriculture,” Huff said. “That is what water management systems are about — giving the farmer another tool in the toolbox to keep feeding all of us.”

By the Numbers

Miles’ farm offers real figures after those questions were put to the test.

“A lot of people down here think that drainage water management is for farms up north and not for our Sharkey clay soils,” said Miles, whose soybean fields were part of the trial. “Well, in our first year of the trial we got a 10-bushel-an-acre increase with drainage alone.”

The results were even more impressive when adding subsurface irrigation. The yield increased 35 bushels an acre compared with no tile in the same field. Water savings reached 30% with subsurface irrigation compared to furrow irrigation.

“We got those results even while an unforeseen weather event caused a foot of water to cover the crops for more than 50 hours,” Miles said. “I figured for sure I’d have to replant, but those beans on tiled ground ended up yielding 35 bushels higher than usual!”

Early Bird Gets the Yield

“Plant date is king, and drainage has proved two years in a row that it also applies to crops in the South,” said Huff. “Matt’s trial field was the first one he was able to plant in his entire operation this year — including the sandy soils. The yield increases that came as a result proved the return on investment.”

Digging Deep

Farmers face constant pressure to produce more with fewer resources. Water management systems are an essential tool to achieve that, which could help farmers in the Mississippi Delta improve their water management practices, helping to save the aquifer and, potentially, provide more access to NRCS conservation resource dollars that haven’t historically been available for the area.

As an important bonus, the land improvement value tiling brings to acres is no small number. For example, data collected in Minnesota demonstrated an average increase of 15% to 20% in value after tiling was completed. Adoption of water management systems in the South would also increase the land value.

Always Striving

The results of the Delta Farm Trials at Miles Farms are exciting for producers and water management experts alike. They show that, if done correctly, a custom water management system can be effective and provide ROI in the South.

ADS recognizes there are many distinctions between farming in the Midwest and the South and will continue to test the best practices for drainage in the Mississippi Delta and across the region.

One thing is clear: drainage is a fit for the South.