The high price of corn the past few years has local farmers trying to figure out how to increase their yields, according to Drew Klotzbach, owner of Alleghany Farm Services, and one way is to improve the drainage of the field.
The better the draining, especially in wet years such as this one, the more corn that will grow.
One of the specialties of Klotzbach's company is installing drainage tiles and he said he's seen an increase in demand locally in recent years.
"It's just a way to improve production," Klotzbach said. "They've got to improve the land. They're not making more land, so ..."
Klotzbach hosted an open house today for interested parties on a farm field next to his business lot on Route 77 in Alabama. Along with his son and employees, he demonstrated his GPS-guided trenching and tile-laying machines.
"It's all about getting the water off the ground faster," Klotzbach said.
The tiles -- more like hoses these days -- are perforated and collect water and drain it off into retention ponds.
"In dry years, it will even help bring up water from the bottom," Klotzbach said.
