Passing this in for Heather Darby, UVM Extension. There is interest in regulating tile drainage in the state, and she is looking for information from farmers. –TB

Dear Vermont Producer,

My team and I have developed this survey with the goal of learning about the agronomic, economic, and environmental benefits associated with implementation of subsurface tile drainage on fields in Vermont.

By gaining a better understanding of the acreage and cropland impacted, as well as the conservation opportunities made available by installing drainage systems, we hope to evaluate how tile drainage has mitigated financial and environmental risks. This material is based upon work supported by USDA/NIFA under Award Number 2015-49200-24225.

We are asking all Vermont farmers to participate in this survey. However, taking part in this study is completely voluntary. You are free to not answer any questions and/or withdraw at any time.

If you choose to participate in the survey, it will take about 10 minutes to complete. All information

collected will be stored without any identifiers (anonymous). To understand risk management strategies on fields with subsurface drainage, we are interested in learning both the field management and conservation practices that are being implemented on tiled fields to produce high yielding crops while reducing potential risks to water quality.

The survey can be taken at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/UVMTileDrainage

If you have any questions about this survey, you may contact me at (802) 524-6501. If

you have questions or concerns about your rights as a survey participant, you may contact the

Director of UVM’s Research Protections Office at (802) 656-5040.

Thank for your time,

Dr. Heather Darby, UVM Agronomist