October 27, 2015
2015 Logan County Farm Outlook Magazine
LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.COM Page 15
good. In addition, when the soil is holding
water, it has no room for air. Consider that
plants of all types are living breathing things.
The root system is like the lungs of the plant.
The lungs require air for the plant to grow and
take up water and nutrients. When there is no
air, the plant suffocates.
Field tiling can help reduce that level of
saturation, and increase the air in the soils,
thus making for a healthier plant that is more
apt to receive the proper proportions of water,
nutrient, and oxygen.
And, it does pay off economically when a field
has a low threshold for saturation. Consider
that tiling may cost $400 to $500 per acre.
Simply put, if the result is increased yields of
even 25 bushel to the acre, the increased gross
revenue from the crop can increase as much
as $100. Without considering the cost of any
other inputs, that field tile could pay for itself
in as little as five years. In addition, field tiling
will add to the value of the land. Increasing the
value of the land will have a positive effect on
the net worth of the farm, and will also have
a positive impact if the farmland goes up for
sale. You will also want to check with the
Logan County Assessor’s Office on how much
the improvement might raise the property tax.
So, the bottom line question, is it time to
invest in field tiling? Looking back on 2015,
between June 1 and July 15, Logan County,
in general, received over 20 inches of rain.
But the big guess is, will that repeat in 2016?
Considering that just a couple of years ago,
we were talking about surviving a drought,
trying to predict what 2016 will bring is going
to be pretty tough. But for many in the area,
perhaps the ‘better safe than sorry’ attitude will
prevail.
Story by Nila Smith
