The five-year rotation provides a good diversity of crops. The pressure in the spring now comes from the need to get the oats in as soon as possible. Any delay in planting this crop usually results in low yields and poor quality. Tile greatly improves the odds of early planting. The planting date window here is smaller than either corn or soybeans.
Artificial drainage is a massive transformation of the landscape.
I am not suggesting here that all of the drainage projects were good practices. We need wetlands and the natural diversity they provide. It would be great although a huge public expense to have these tiles drain into created wetlands before they enter their water into streams. My consensus here is that adequate subsurface drainage in appropriate soils improves the profitability and environmental soundness of farming practices.