This project seeks funding to support the inclusion of students enrolled in several courses into an ongoing, long-term research and demonstration project focused on the impacts of tile drainage on…

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Minnesota State University Mankato $150,000 on August 1, 2026, under the Capacity Building for Non-Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture program (CFDA 10.326) to integrate students into a long-term research and demonstration project examining tile drainage impacts on water quality and soil health and the effectiveness of controlled tile drainage as a mitigation strategy.

The award funds student participation across multiple courses and class levels (freshman through graduate) in field and laboratory research at an experimental farm approximately 20 miles from the Mankato campus. Deliverables include acquisition of scientific instrumentation for student use, development of two open-source laboratory manuals incorporating experiential learning, travel expenses for students to the demonstration facility, and three years of graduate assistant support. Students will contribute to systems-oriented, community-based research and assist farmers and landowners in applying sound resource management strategies for productivity and environmental protection. The project addresses education need areas in curriculum design, scientific instrumentation, and experiential learning, while supporting research and outreach activities within soil science and conservation and renewable natural resources academic codes.

Performance takes place in Mankato, Minnesota, with period of performance from August 1, 2026, through July 31, 2029. The assistance type is a project grant.

This project seeks funding to support the inclusion of students enrolled in several courses into an ongoing, long-term research and demonstration project focused on the impacts of tile drainage on water quality and soil health and the effectiveness of controlled tile drainage on mitigating those impacts. This project would provide a diverse mix of students, ranging from freshmen to graduate across several majors, with high-impact experiential learning. The project is primarily focused on education but includes research and outreach. Funding is requested to acquire equipment for student use, cover travel expenses for students to an experimental and demonstration farm approximately 20 miles from campus, and support a graduate assistant for three years. The project is within academic codes d (soil science) and c (conservation and renewable natural resources) and meets several education need areas, including curriculum design/materials development (designing two open-source laboratory manuals that incorporate experiential learning); scientific instrumentation (acquiring scientific instrumentation for student use); and experiential learning (incorporating students into field and laboratory research and outreach). Students will contribute to research need areas, including studies and experimentation and applied studies in the food and agricultural sciences (participating in and sharing results of systems-oriented and community-based research). Students will contribute to outreach/extension need areas, including food and agricultural sciences (assisting farmers to improve productivity through sound resource management strategies), leadership development (training students and encouraging involvement and leadership roles within the agriculture community), and natural resources (informing landowners, consultants, and conservationists to use natural resources wisely and protect the environment).