North America Conservation and Drainage Expo

Attendees, exhibitors & solutions

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Glossary

1

Subsurface (tile) drainage

A network of perforated plastic tubing installed roughly 2-4 ft below the soil surface to lower the water table and remove excess water from cropland. Tile and tubing, and the machines that install them, are the core product family at NACADE.

2

Lateral and main

Laterals are the parallel collection runs spaced across a field; mains collect flow from the laterals and carry it to the outlet. Contractors size both from field slope, soil type and the drainage coefficient.

3

Drainage coefficient

The design removal rate, commonly expressed as inches of water removed per day (for example 3/8 to 1/2 in per day), used to set tile diameter, spacing and depth.

4

Pattern tiling

A uniform, parallel tile layout across a field, often at 20-40 ft spacing, selected according to soil type, crop rotation and target drainage coefficient.

5

Controlled drainage / drainage water management

Using a structure at the drainage outlet to hold the water table higher in the off-season, which reduces nitrate leaving the field and conserves water for the next crop.

6

Drainage outlet

The point where a main discharges into a ditch, stream or conservation structure. Outlet capacity, easements and permit requirements often decide whether a project proceeds.

7

Saturated buffer

An edge-of-field practice that routes tile flow through a shallow vegetated strip along a ditch so denitrification can remove nitrate before the water leaves the farm.

8

Denitrifying bioreactor

A woodchip-filled trench that treats tile water, converting nitrate to nitrogen gas. A common nutrient-reduction practice discussed alongside drainage design.

9

Blind inlet

A gravel-filled trench that replaces a surface inlet, filtering sediment while still draining wet spots in a field, which helps cut phosphorus loss.

10

Cover crop

Species such as cereal rye, radish or clover planted after harvest to take up residual nitrogen, control erosion and improve soil structure between cash crops.

11

Conservation tillage and no-till

Reduced-disturbance planting systems that leave residue on the surface, improving infiltration and cutting erosion; frequently paired with tile drainage on poorly drained soils.

12

Two-stage ditch

An agricultural ditch rebuilt with a low-flow channel and vegetated benches, which stabilizes banks and reduces sediment and nutrient export.

13

Nutrient loss reduction strategy

State and regional frameworks, such as the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy, that set nitrogen and phosphorus reduction targets and drive demand for edge-of-field drainage practices.

14

NRCS and EQIP cost-share

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service programs, including the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), that share the cost of practices such as drainage water management, bioreactors and saturated buffers.

15

Tile plow and trencher

Installation machinery: a tile plow pulls tubing in with minimal soil disturbance, while a trencher cuts a trench for deeper or rockier installations. Both are common exhibitor categories.

16

Grade control and machine control

GPS and laser systems that hold tile grade and slope during installation so water flows to the outlet and ponding is avoided; increasingly standard on contractor equipment.