2. Does agricultural drainage affect the Minnesota River? “Agricultural drainage systems make crop production more successful.” - University of Minnesota Extension

3. Minnesota River Basin Soils “Glacial processes in upper Midwest created an abundance of highly productive but poorly drained soils.” Gary R. Sands U of M Minnesota has more than 21,000 miles of ditches and channelized streams (shown in red), which serve as the drainage infrastructure for the agricultural regions of Minnesota. Gary R. Sands www.extension.umn..edu

4. Courtney Thoreson R. Cooke, University of Illinois Underground tile drainage What is Agricultural Drainage?

5. How are Drainage Systems Implemented

6. “Southern Minnesota would not reliably produce such high yields of crops if artificial drainage systems were not installed.” –Lowell Busman & Gary Sands

8. “In recent years, farmers have installed as much as 100 million feet of subsurface drainage pipe in Minnesota annually.” – Busman & Sands Laying tile in Brown County, Minnesota

9. More and more farmers are expanding their farmlands closer to the river which is altering the rivers path.

11. Examples of Sub-surface drainage in the Minnesota River Basin

12. Muddy Waters Debate Question: is advocating for higher crop yields worth the environmental risks to the worlds’ rivers? Controlling Farm Runoff Debate Question: is it worth protecting the rivers while giving up large, productive farming practices? Group 1: FarmersGroup 2: Environmentalists

13. “Ask-an-Expert about the Minnesota River” profiles scientists and citizens answering questions about the health of the Minnesota River. Produced by the Water Resources Center at Minnesota State University, Mankato To learn more, visit the Minnesota River Basin Data: mrbdc.mnsu.edu/learn