Agenda

Conservation Drainage School
August 26 – 28, 2025
Borlaug Learning Center
Nashua, IA

Tentative AGENDA

Tue
Aug 26
Day 1 – Tuesday, August 26, 2025
Oxbows, ACPF, and Saturated Buffers

7:30 am Registration Opens, coffee and rolls

Floyd County Office Staff

8:00 am Welcome and Introductions

Kapil Arora, field agricultural engineer, Iowa State University

8:15 am School Introduction, pre-school evaluation

Kapil Arora, field agricultural engineer, Iowa State University

8:30 am Where and How Ox Bows Fit?

Karen Wilke, Associate Director of Freshwater, The Nature Conservancy in Iowa
Andrew Rust, Freshwater Restoration Specialist, The Nature Conservancy in Iowa

9:30 am Group Activity – Ox Bow Design

10:15 am Break

10:30 am Ox Bow Design Discussion

11:00 am Using ACPF (Agricultural Conservation Planning Framework) for Site Selection

Jessica Stephenson, Ph.D. Candidate in Sustainable Agriculture, Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management at Iowa State University.

12 noon Lunch, provided

12:45 pm Examples of Using ACPF for Site Selection

1:30 pm Designing Saturated Buffers

Gabe Johnson, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in Sustainable Agriculture, Iowa State University

2:45 pm Break

3:00 pm Group Activity – Design Saturated Buffer

3:45 pm Design Discussion

4:30 pm Travel to Floyd County Saturated Buffer Site

Ken Pecinovsky, Farm Manager, Northeast Research Farm, Iowa State University

5:00 pm Saturated Buffer Site Install Discussion

6:00 pm Travel to Sleep Inn Hotel at Charles City

6:30 pm Supper, provided

7:00 pm Tools and Tips for WQ Practice Designs

Contractor Group

8:00 pm Adjourn for the day

Jacob Handsaker, CEO, Hands-On-Excavating, Radcliffe, IA

Wed
Aug 27
Day 2 – Wednesday, August 27, 2025
Controlled Drainage, Wetlands, and Alternative Inlets

7:30 am Facility Opens, coffee and rolls

Floyd County Office Staff

8:00 am Controlled Drainage

Chris Hay, Owner and Principal, Hay Water Solutions, LLC.

8:45 am Group Activity – Controlled Drainage Design

9:15 am Design Discussion

9:45 am Break

10:00 am Wetland Designs for Small Watersheds

Kapil Arora, field agricultural engineer, Iowa State University

11:00 am Site Visit for Wetlands

12:15 pm Lunch, provided

1:00 pm Wetland Design

Kapil Arora, field agricultural engineer, Iowa State University

1:45 pm Wetland Design Discussion

2:30 pm Alternative Inlets or Intakes

Matt Helmers, Professor, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State University

3:15 pm Break

3:30 pm Group Activity – Design Alternative Intakes

4:15 pm Design Discussion

4:45 pm Introduction to Drainage Water Recycling

Chris Hay, Owner and Principal, Hay Water Solutions, LLC

6:00 pm Supper, provided

6:30 pm Batch and Build Model Panel Discussion

Keegan Kult, Executive Director, Ag Drainage Management Coalition

8:00 pm Adjourn for the day

Thu
Aug 28
Day 3 – Thursday, August 28, 2025
Drainage Water Recycling, Woodchip Bioreactors, and Two Stage Ditches

7:30 am Facility Opens, coffee and rolls

Floyd County Office Staff

8:00 am Group Activity - Drainage Water Recycling Design

Chris Hay, Owner and Principal, Hay Water Solutions, LLC.

9:00 am Design Discussion

9:45 am Break

10:00 am Sizing Woodchip Bioreactors

Laura Christianson, Research Associate Professor, Crop Sciences, University of Illinois

10:45 am Group Activity – Design Woodchip Bioreactor

11:30 am Lunch, provided

12:15 pm Visit Nashua Research Farm Bioreactor

1:00 pm Design Discussion

1:30 pm Designing Two Stage Ditches

Sara McMillan, Professor, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State University

2:30 pm Group Activity – Two Stage Ditch Design

3:15 pm Break

3:30 pm Design Discussion

4:00 pm Q & A Session

4:15 pm School Evaluations

4:30 pm School Adjourns