Controlled Tile Drainage Workshop on February 28
The Ottawa Rural Clean Water Program, in partnership with South Nation Conservation, Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, and Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority invites local farmers, drainage contractors, and drainage superintendents to come and learn more about the benefits of Controlled Tile Drainage (CTD) on February 28.
The information session will be held at the Kars Recreation Association Centre located at 1604 Old Wellington Street St., Kars, ON from 12:30 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. Refreshments will be provided to participants.
CTD is a drainage management practice that allows growers to better control the timing and amount of water drained from a field.
“Using CTD provides growers with the ability to raise and lower the water table which helps the grower respond to crop needs, and also reduces the amount of nutrients that escape from fields to local watercourses,” says Katherine Watson, SNC Water Resources Specialist.
The workshop will feature presentations from researchers including Dr. David Lapen from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Participants will learn about the agronomic and environmental benefits of CTD, as well as the results of a multi-year CTD study conducted in the South Nation watershed.
“Participants will get to hear from a local drainage contractor, Marc-Antoine Sauvé from Lapointe Drainage, and from Marc Bercier, a local farmer and owner of Marc Bercier Seed Cleaning, regarding the use of CTD,” mentioned Watson.
Information sessions such as these provide an opportunity for participants to share expertise and experiences using CTD and to hear from local researchers, contractors and farmers.
The Ottawa Rural Clean Water Program, as well as SNC’s Clean Water Program and RVCA’s Rural Clean Water Program, offer substantial grants for installing CTD structures. CTD can be retrofitted to most tile drain systems and is best suited for use in relatively flat fields with slopes of one percent or less.
To RSVP for the CTD session, please contact Katherine Watson.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Katherine Watson, 1-877-984-2948, ext. 291 kwatson@nation.on.ca