New Report Shares Latest Research on Potential for Ag Drainage Water Recycling

posted 5/3/2024

AMES, Iowa – What if Iowa farmers could collect field drainage and rainfall to supply the right amount of water at the right time for crop production – and improve water quality in the process? That dream is coming closer to reality, thanks to the emerging technology of drainage water recycling (DWR) already in practice on several Iowa farms.

Precipitation in Iowa is generally adequate to produce good crops. However, yields are often limited when the timing and volume of rainfall doesn’t coincide with crop water needs. By storing drainage water in the spring to reuse in the summer as supplemental irrigation during dry periods, DWR can increase crop yields and make cropping systems more predictable and resilient to weather extremes.

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