The Water Table

In this episode, guest host Trey Allis chats with Dr. Lindsay Pease of the University of Minnesota Crookston. An Associate Professor and Extension Specialist in Nutrient and Water Management, Dr. Pease shares insights into her research on drainage, nutrient management, and soil health in northwestern Minnesota.  

Tracing her roots in the western Lake Erie basin in Ohio to her current work in the Red River Valley, Dr. Pease reflects on the similarities and differences between these two flat glacial landscapes. She shares her experience of getting “deeper and deeper into drainage” and how this interest brought her to her position in Crookston, MN.

Since 2019, Dr. Pease has conducted a 60-acre field experiment, studying crop outcomes in alternating drained and undrained sections. Through extreme weather conditions, she’s gathered valuable information about how tile drainage impacts water quality and crop performance. She shares the outcomes of this research and talks about what she’s learned about tile drainage and its impacts on the health of soil, water, and different types of crops.

Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction
00:48 - From one glacial lake bed to another
02:14 - Focus on drainage and soil health
03:39 - Unique challenges in northwestern Minnesota
05:31 - Crop rotation and nutrient cycling
08:33 - A 60-acre field experiment
10:53 - Drainage and extreme weather patterns
12:16 - Wet seasons and nitrogen loss
13:37 - Testing in drought conditions
16:00 - Sugar beet drainage comparisons
19:36 - Phosphorus runoff and water quality
22:34 - Conservation practices for runoff control
26:06 - Controlled drainage and lift stations
30:40 - Future research directions
33:18 - Upcoming learning opportunities
36:03 - Closing thoughts

Related Content:

• The Water Table Episode #69: A City Kid’s Impact on Water Management Education with Dr. Lindsay Pease

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As we close out another year, The Water Table looks back on the conversations that shaped 2025. In this special "2025 Wrapped" episode, we’ve curated highlights from our most impactful discussions—from Ducks Unlimited to the high-tech future of drainage modeling.

Host Jamie Duininck and guest host Trey Allis revisit stories of multi-generational family businesses, the critical role of recycled plastics in pipe manufacturing, and the evolving mindset around water as a resource to be managed rather than a problem to be solved. Whether discussing the effects of tariffs on agriculture or the rigorous licensing of contractors in Ontario, this year has been a testament to the growth and professionalism of our industry.

Join us for this retrospective as we celebrate another year in Ag water management.

Chapters:

00:00 - Welcome to 2025 Wrapped
00:14 - John Schwartz: Vision and Teamwork in the Swine Industry
01:19 - Samantha Ewald: Wetlands as the Kidneys of the Earth
03:03 - Jamie Duininck: The Minnesota State Fair Experience
03:50 - Lauren Lewandowski Hamer: Recycling and Local Manufacturing in Minnesota
04:32 - Jamie Duininck: The Backbone of the Drainage Industry
04:50 - Tim & Pattie Krengel: Multi-Generational Legacies
06:01 - Toban Dyck: Agriculture Across the Great Plains
07:41 - Chad Klotzbach: Managing Water Quality and Quantity
08:43 - Jamie Duininck: The First Ever Water Table Live
10:59 - Mel Luymes: Legislation and Licensing in Ontario
12:24 - Karl Guetter: Insights on the 2024 and 2025 Seasons
13:14 - Chuck Brandel: LiDAR Drones and Cost-Effective Modeling

Episodes Featured in 2025 Wrapped:

• 118: Accidental Advocate for the Drainage Industry
• 119: Revolutionizing Drainage: Improving Infrastructure with Technology
• 121: Navigating the Challenges & Opportunities of Being a Farmer
• 122: Drainage in Ontario: Balancing Agriculture & the Environment.
• 123: Drainage Contractors' Questions Answered - Live!
• 124: Who Pays? The Impact of Tariffs on U.S. and Canadian Ag
• 126: From the Ground Up: A Legacy of Breaking Barriers & Land Stewardship
• 131: Schwartz Farms: A Business Built On Shared Purpose & Embracing Change
• 132: Ducks Unlimited: Balancing Wetland Conservation & Agricultural Production
• 135: A Fair Deal: Recycling & Giving Plastics New Life

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In the quest for better water quality, farmers and city residents share a vital common goal: protecting our shared water resources by managing runoff. Host Jamie Duininck speaks with Ann Zawistoski and Sophie Wicklund of the Adopt-a-Drain program to draw a direct line between agricultural and urban water management practices. Just as farmers use practices like buffer strips, bioreactors, and controlled drainage to minimize nutrient loss, our “city cousins" clean their local storm drains to prevent urban pollutants like leaves and debris from entering waterways.

Adopt-a-Drain empowers the public to take responsibility for stormwater management, recognizing that urban stormwater runoff is a major source of water pollution. The program encourages residents to adopt a storm drain near their home and clean it just twice a month. This simple, hands-on approach transforms the public's understanding of their impact on the watershed, leading to broader behavioral changes. The collective results prove the power of individual action, with over 30,000 adopted drains and nearly one million pounds of debris removed across the country. Tune in to discover the powerful parallels between urban and agricultural water quality practices and how community engagement is successfully working toward clean water for everyone.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:36 Adopt-a-Drain Guest Introductions
01:57 The Urban Stormwater Challenge
04:00 How the Adopt-a-Drain Program Works
05:40 Nearly 1 Million Pounds of Debris Removed
06:35 Behavior Change
07:50 Adopt-a-Drain's Origins and Inspiration
10:52 Why Small, Frequent Cleanings Make a Big Difference
13:56 Engaging Participants Year-Round
15:53 Funding and Partnerships
19:42 The Parallels to Ag Water Management
25:39 Expanding the Movement

Related Content:

• #138 | Set It & Forget It... Making Controlled Water Management Accessible with Agri Drain
• #56 | A More Efficient Approach to Water Quality: Batch and Build
• #14 | Opportunities in Water Quality
• Adopt-a-Drain

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Who can help with funding water quality practices on your land? Guest Host Trey Allis sits down with Rita Weaver, Chief Engineer at the Minnesota Board of Water & Soil Resources (BWSR), to discuss soil health, water management practices, and water-quality programs happening throughout the state. They break down specific projects, funding, and tools helping producers take on water and soil challenges. Learn how opportunities with conservation — adding practices in the right place at the right time  — are making an impact. 

Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:33 - Welcome to The Water Table podcast
00:40 - Introducing Rita Weaver
01:57 - Chief Engineer Role at BWSR
03:05 - Agency Impact on Water Quality
03:52 - Major Projects and Funding (Where’s The Money Going) 
05:05 - Opportunities With Improvement Projects  
08:15 - Larger Scale Conservation Practices and Improvements
08:51 - BWSR Water Quality and Storage Program 
09:46 - Funding: Grant Application Process 
10:52 - Future Funding: How Far Will Funding Go
13:35 - Storage Practice End Goal 
14:45 - What Does Soil Health Mean To You
17:02 - The Effect of Too Much Water, Too Little Water
18:00 - Water Quality Issues and Solutions
22:20 - How Flooding Affects High Benefitting Areas 
24:09 - Did You Always Want To Work For BWSR
27:07 - Thank You Rita 
27:30 - How To Contact BWSR
27:50 - Wrap-up

Related content:

• #132 | Ducks Unlimited: Balancing Wetland Conservation & Agricultural Production
• #114 | Crumbling Ag Drainage Infrastructure = Unique Upgrade Opportunities
• #87 | Who Supports the Boots on the Ground!?! (Hint: it’s LICA)… On the Road
• #77 | How 5 Million Dollars, 39 Test Sites & 29 Bright Minds are Transforming Drainage

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Control structures— Can you really set ‘em and forget ‘em? Guest Host Trey Allis is joined by Scott Lukan, Agri Drain President, and Josh Shuler, Agri Drain Product & Business Manager, to dig into controlled water management. They break down the scalable solutions available to the industry and the role of Agri Drain in making them more approachable. Learn how these “levers” are helping farmers and landowners reduce nutrient loss and gain greater control over their water and pocketbooks.

Chapters:
00:00 Welcome to The Water Table podcast
00:42 Introducing Scott and Josh
01:52 About Agri Drain
03:00 Water Level Control Structures
06:30 Precipitation and Crop Needs
08:30 Set It & Forget It: Setting A Schedule
10:15 Benefits of Controlled Drainage
14:37 Dry Years Versus Wet Years
17:07 Innovative Product Lines
19:05 Inside View of Structures and Valves
23:06 Phones, Cameras, and Monitoring
25:15 Practices That Maximize Effectiveness 
31:38 Performance Reports
33:01 Retrofitting Existing Tile Systems
42:15 Weather Patterns and Adaptability
44:10 Innovation and the Future of Controlled Water Management
47:02 Wrap-up

Related content:

• #119 | Revolutionizing Drainage - Improving Infrastructure with Technology 
• #114 | Crumbling Ag Drainage Infrastructure = Unique Upgrade Opportunities
• #110 | Bridging the Gap Between Water Management Research & Application
• #46 | How the Next Generation is Using Technology to Take Ag to the Next Level

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How’s this year’s harvest? Jamie is checking in with farmers across the Midwest for an update on the harvest season — what’s going well, what’s been challenging, and how weather patterns, market shifts, and community efforts are shaping the season. From early planting to the impact of heavy rainfall on yield projections, you’ll hear an honest, down-to-earth conversation about the challenges and opportunities facing agriculture in our region. 

Chapters:
00:00 - Welcome to the Water Table Podcast
01:54 - Introducing Al Giese
02:48 - Commodity prices and current down cycle 
03:32 - Ethanol’s strong demand 
05:24 - The impact of weather and disease on crop yields
09:20 - How was this year’s harvest?
11:57 - Checking in with Dylan Erickson
13:57 - Harvest update from Western Minnesota 
18:52 - Chippewa County and soybean expectations
22:25 - Effect of changing weather patterns   
22:42 - Touching base with Karl Guetter
25:48 - Dry fall weather and early finish   
33:22 - Update wrap-up

Related Content:

• #134 | Beyond the Squeeze Test: How Unseen Variables Cost Farmers
• #121 | Navigation the Challenges & Opportunities of Being a Farmer
• #55 | How Changing Weather Patterns Impact the Stability of Your Farm
• #52 | An Ag Economist Tells All: Critical Topics Impacting the Future of Ag

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When it comes to water quality, what do people really think? Host Jamie Duininck took The Water Table podcast on the road to the Minnesota State Fair to interview fairgoers and hear their concerns. You'll hear genuine, on-the-spot answers, covering everything from local lake health to field runoff to worries about nitrates and other materials reaching the water table.

Jamie and Prinsco Application Engineer, Trey Allis, unpack these conversations to address concerns and discuss how water management practices, such as control structures, offer solutions for improved water quality.

Chapters:
00:00 - Welcome to the Water Table Podcast
00:28 - Today’s guest Trey Allis
01:40 - Discussing water quality at the State Fair 
03:00 - Importance of water quality
03:35 - The effect of runoff, impervious soils and algae
04:46 - Concerns about the impact of agriculture   
07:35 - Water management practices and implementation
12:16 - Sub-irrigation, drainage recycling and other opportunities
17:55 - Let’s talk about research
18:45 - Nitrate issues and control drainage
22:42 - New contractors and the use of technology 
25:49 - Adopt a storm drain
29:10 - Wrap-up

Related Content

• #129: The Tipping Point: Accelerating Agricultural Water Quality & Soil Retention
• #116: A Unified Voice & Vision for Ag Water Management 
• #103: Rapping About Drainage– A Water Table First!
• Best Practice: Controlled Drainage 

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Jamie takes a trip to the Great Minnesota Get-Together to talk with people and hear their thoughts on recycling, water quality, and products made from post-consumer plastics. He had some great conversations, including a chat with Lauren from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. They discussed how HDPE plastics can be recycled to make products like picnic tables and birdhouses--as well as drainage pipe, which uses a large volume of post-consumer plastic.

Jamie also talked with Ann and Jennifer from the University of Minnesota Extension about the opportunities that exist to educate young people about local water quality, the role that plastic pipe manufacturing plays in recycling efforts, and potential careers in the water management industry.

The last conversation in this episode is with Jacob from By the Yard, a Minnesota-based company that manufactures and sells lawn furniture made from recycled plastic. He and Jamie discuss their shared goal of keeping plastic out of landfills and how rewarding it is to do something good with recycled plastics.

Chapters:
00:00 - Welcome to the Water Table Podcast
00:35 - Visiting the Minnesota State Fair
01:47 - Recycling plastics into new products
03:07 - From milk jugs to drainage pipe
06:30 - Why water matters locally
08:20 - Opportunities for educating young people
09:45 - Doing something good with recycled plastics
13:16 - Closing remarks

Related content:

• #67 | Sustainability and Resilience - How the Plastic Pipe Industry is on the Forefront
• #05.1 | The Science Behind Making Pipe: Part 01
• #05.2 | The Science Behind Making Pipe: Part 02
• Water Quality resources from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency 
• University of Minnesota Extension
• By the Yard Outdoor Furniture

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Some of the biggest risks in quality are the ones you can’t see. Pipe might look fine or feel strong in your hands, but hidden issues like uneven wall thickness, poor resin blends, or the wrong corrugation profile could cause pipe to fail in the field years after installation.

In part two of our Perspectives on Pipe Quality series, Jamie Duininck sits down with Paul Schrupp, Director of Quality and Continuous Improvement at Prinsco, to unpack these unseen factors and explain why quality depends on science, testing, and design. They talk about resin properties, thickness distribution, cold-weather brittleness, UV protection using carbon black, and the role of ASTM standards in protecting farmers.

True quality is not obvious at first glance. It is built into every step of the process so that pipe in the ground will perform for decades and create long-term value for farm families and communities.

Chapters:
00:00 - Welcome Back
01:00 - Paul’s Role in Quality
02:20 - What Quality Really Means
04:10 - Beyond ASTM Minimums
05:45 - The Squeeze Test Problem
07:30 - Corrugation Profiles & Temperature
09:10 - The Plastic Chair Example
10:30 - Longevity and Service Life
12:00 - Carbon Black and Sun Exposure
14:00 - Industry Standards
16:00 - Longevity Builds Wealth
17:30 - Risks of Cutting Corners
19:30 - Final Thoughts

Related content:

• #133 | Perspectives on Pipe Quality: Delivering Generations of Yield with Tony Kime
• #129 | The Tipping Point: Accelerating Agricultural Water Quality & Soil Retention
• #07 | Engineering Water Quality: Bioreactors, Saturated Buffers & More
• “Perspectives on Pipe Quality” Playlist on YouTube
  
  

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This first episode of Perspectives on Pipe Quality opens a critical conversation about building drainage systems that truly last. Host Jamie Duininck sits down with industry veteran Tony Kime, Senior Advisor to Soleno, whose 40+ years in the corrugated pipe business have shown him what it takes to deliver a 50-year service life and what happens when quality falls short.

Tony draws on a lifetime in the industry, including a story of pipe installed in 1971 that is still performing today. He explains how resin selection, manufacturing practices, and rigorous testing protect farmers’ long-term investments and the reputation of the entire industry. From the “Wild West” days of untested products to the importance of third-party certification, this episode dives beneath the surface to show why getting it right the first time matters for generations.

Chapters:

00:00 - Welcome & Series Introduction
02:07 - Tony’s Background & Industry Experience
04:02 - How the Industry Expands, Contracts & Learns
07:10 - Why Testing Matters in Pipe Manufacturing
14:22 - The Cost of Cutting Corners
20:30 - Standards & Third-Party Certification
28:06 - A 1971 Pipe Still Performing Today
32:05 - Drainage as a Conservation Practice
35:00 - What’s Ahead in the Series

Related content:

• #132 | Ducks Unlimited: Balancing Wetland Conservation & Agricultural Production
• #122 | Drainage in Ontario: Balancing Ag & the Environment
• #54 | Building Wealth Through Tiling: Insights from Canada’s OG Installer 
• Land Improvement Contractors of Ontario (LICO) 

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