(Update: The workshop originally planned for Sept. 13 will now be held March 20, from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Kirkwood Linn County Regional Center in Hiawatha)

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – A series of two workshops on tile drainage and water quality intended for women in agriculture will be held by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Linn and Johnson counties.

The workshops are open to women who are working in ag as well as those who are not, such as off-farm landowners. The Linn County workshop will be held March 20 at 5:30 p.m. at the Kirkwood Linn County Regional Center in Hiawatha and will include presentations on the basics of field tile drainage, the economics of tile drainage, and water quality considerations. The Johnson County workshop will be held  Nov. 8 at 5 p.m. in Washington Hall at the Kirkwood Main Campus in Cedar Rapids and will include presentations on tile drainage-related water quality practices, such as edge-of-field bioreactors, saturated buffers, conservation drainage, and more, as well as the opportunities for cost assistance.

The workshop series is generously sponsored by a Wings2Water grant, www.wings2water.org.

After the workshop series, attendees should feel better equipped to make educated decisions regarding drainage and water quality practices on the land that they own or operate and will be able to answer questions such as:

• Would my field benefit from tile drainage and what makes a good drainage design?
• What does tile drainage typically cost and what economic return should I expect?
• How can tenants and landowners work together to meet drainage goals?
• Which water quality practices might be suitable for my fields?
• How can tenants and landowners work together to meet water quality goals?
• What cost share opportunities exist?

The meetings will be informal with time for questions and discussion. Register online at this link: https://go.iastate.edu/07JTGJ. Registration is $10 each or $15 if you register for both workshops, which includes a meal and educational materials to accompany presentations. For questions, call either the Linn County or Johnson County offices.

The ISU Extension and Outreach Linn County office can be reached at 319-377-9839; and the ISU Extension and Outreach Johnson County office is available at 319-337-2145.

Shareable photo: Women learning about tile management.