In This Section |
Field Crop Production
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| Author: | OMAFRA Staff |
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| Creation Date: | 30 October 2002 |
| Last Reviewed: | 04 May 2004 |
All Ontario farmers must remove excess water from farmland through surface and subsurface drainage. Most land does benefit from artificially-improved drainage. Just look at the extent of private and municipal drainage in Ontario!
Ditches and streams in rural areas are too often viewed simply as drainage outlets for agricultural land.
Unfortunately,
local and downstream impacts are often overlooked in drainage planning:
Streambank stabilization begins on the land near the stream. Keep erosion to a minimum with a well thought out conservation farm plan.
Cropland should be separated from the watercourse with permanent buffer strips at least three metres (10 feet) in width. Buffer strips can help filter out sediment in run-off water while stabilizing the streambanks.
Vegetation along stream corridors offers habitat for wildlife and reduces maintenance costs. Bird populations will increase, which can reduce the number of insects and pests.
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Tile
drain outlets should be installed in a manner which does not cause
an obstruction or erosion in a receiving watercourse.
Livestock should be restricted from all watercourses where damage is evident. They can trample banks and destroy vegetation increasing erosion and contaminating water with manure.
Many fencing alternatives are available. Modern systems will withstand severe flood water and ice flow and cost as little as $1.64/m ($0.50/ft.) installed (1991). Watering facilities such as nose pumps, side-hill spring boxes or a solar-powered pumping system may be installed if livestock do not have access to other water sources.
An acceptable livestock crossing restricts stream access at all times. The crossing could be at bank-level such as a bridge or culvert, or a low-level crossing such as a series of culverts, or a single rectangular concrete conduit. Fencing must extend over the crossing during the seasons that livestock are on pasture.
| Introduction
| Understanding the
Basics | Approaching
Change | Tillage
Options | Non-tillage
Options |
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