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southern MN | I really hate tile in shallow. Like to be at 3 feet to the bottom. Most all tile plows go to 5 feet, many to 7+ feet if needed. Plowed is faster, trenched is fine too, can see what's down there moreso, but more work backfilling.
Elevation - 1% is fine. Less works if you have to. Just needs to go down, doesn't have to go down fast - the fellas talked about having a few inches fall per 80 acre field at times.
Draining the pasture to make more field - my farm was 90 acres pasture, 100 acres fields when dad got it. While I have 9 acres of pasture, it would grow corn & beans just fine.
You don't have to tile everything - but planning for getting there is the key. If there is a low spot, put your main tile in deep enough to get it later. Real spendy to have to run another main lower in 5 years when you realize you want that drained too.
If 70 foot spacings work right in your area, placing tile 140 feet apart to start is fine - might take an extra week to make that dry out the field, but it will sure help, and you can add the middles another year when you get more bucks. But plan the layout so you can come back, not so you have to redo or backtrack or double up the tile or cross your first run.....
'Here' the county would have a fit if you drained into a county road ditch. The state allows it but you need permits on state highway. I wouldn't have believed it, but the neighbor did it. There is quite a network of drainage ditches, with county owned tile mains as well. The county accesses taxes to maintain this network. There are always arguments between neighbors, as the combination of public & private ditch & tile gets added on to.
The concrete tile dad put in in the '50s is working fine. I hear a lot of clay tile from much older is holding up well. If a tile cracks or chips, might suck in dirt and need to be replaced or patched with concrete & plastic. Outlets like to have critters nest in or around them, and can wash out. Maininence isn't a big deal, but there can be little things one year or another. Shallow tile gets damaged with NH3 or deep ripping or plowing & driving through a dead-furrow - that's why I like 3 foot deep tile, not the shallow stuff.
Now, don't know if any of this applies to your soils, and so on! :) Some soils need a sock, or so on. Not familiar with that 'here' so can't say.
Edit: The Hefty boys have a under $50 3 hour DVD on how to tile, I don't know if it's worth it or not - haven't seen it, but they tile in the 'dry' South Dakota area, they have a mini video about it on their home page. http://www.agphd.com/
--->Paul
Edited by paul the original 6/12/2010 03:57
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Would drainage tile work in Alberta?
