5 Signs Your Farm Needs a Pump Station

When your fields are lower than the nearest ditch or lack the natural "fall" to move water away, the solution is a lift station. Understanding the benefits of agricultural pump stations is key to reclaiming unproductive acres. If you're tired of seeing the same wet spots every year, here are five unmistakable signs that your farm is ready for a professional pump solution.
 

1. You Have "Landlocked" Potholes or Low Spots

The most obvious sign is the presence of bowl-shaped depressions that never seem to drain. Because these areas are lower than the surrounding terrain, gravity tile alone can't "pull" the water uphill to a main outlet.
 

• The Indicator: You have standing water in specific low spots even when the rest of the field is dry enough to plant.
• The Solution: A pump station acts as an artificial outlet, lifting the water from the lowest point and pushing it through a force main to a higher discharge area.

 

2. Lack of Natural Fall to a Gravity Outlet

For a standard tile system to work, you generally need a minimum grade or "slope." If your land is incredibly flat—a common challenge in the Red River Valley—the water simply sits in the pipes.
 

• The Indicator: Your tile lines are full of water, but nothing is "daylighting" at the outlet.
• The Solution: One of the primary benefits of agricultural pump stations is the ability to create flow where none exists naturally. By creating a deep "wet well" (sump), you give the water a place to go, and the pump handles the rest.

 

3. Your Main Tile Outlets are Frequently Submerged

Even if you have a good slope, your system is only as good as its outlet. If the county ditch or nearby creek frequently runs high, it can "back up" into your tile lines, essentially turning your drainage system into a storage tank.
 

• The Indicator: You notice your tile lines are "slugged" or backed up because the receiving ditch is higher than your pipe.
• The Solution: A pump station with a check valve ensures that water can only move one way: out. It can discharge water even when the receiving ditch is at full capacity.

 

4. Delayed Field Access During the "Spring Window"

Time is money during planting season. If you are consistently waiting 10–14 days longer than your neighbors to get into the field, your natural drainage is failing you. This delay often results in "prevented planting" claims or mudding-in crops, which causes long-term compaction.
 

• The Indicator: Heavy clay soils that stay "tacky" or saturated long after the snowmelt should have vanished.
• The Solution: Utilizing Premium Pump Stations allows you to aggressively drop the water table across your entire field, providing the firm seedbed needed for earlier spring planting.

 

5. Increasing Soil Salinity and "White Spots"

In parts of the Dakotas and Western Minnesota, high water tables bring salts to the surface. As the water evaporates, it leaves behind white crusts that kill crop productivity.
 

• The Indicator: Growing "white spots" in your fields where nothing—not even weeds—will grow.
• The Solution: Tiling alone isn't enough to fix salinity; you must actively leach the salts out. A pump station ensures the water table stays low enough that salts are washed down and out of the root zone, rather than being wicked up to the surface.

 

Why Precision Design is Non-Negotiable

Installing a pump station isn't a "one-size-fits-all" project. An undersized pump will burn out, while an improperly designed wet well will "short-cycle" and waste electricity. At Ag Tech Drainage, we use GPS and LIDAR technology to scientifically evaluate your field's topography and calculate the exact flow requirements for your station.

The benefits of agricultural pump stations are only realized when the system is engineered for your specific soil type and acreage. From obtaining the correct permits to final installation, we provide a 100% warranty on our work.

Stop fighting gravity and start controlling your water.

Contact Ag Tech Drainage today for a FREE estimate on your custom pump station project.