File:Drained vs. Undrained (16903980581).jpg

Ditches have been dug to drain water from the wetlands that would be pock-marking this field.

For the agricultural producer, some of the intended benefits are: more area to crop (less water-covered), earlier into the field to plant (dries out quicker), and don't have to drive around potholes when running equipment (more economical, saves fuel and overlap).

What about the unintended consequences that are (in many times) passed on to neighbors, other parts of the country, or won't take place until the future? Some of these effects are: Loss of nutrient and chemical filtration (these waters flow overland until they end up in a large lake or river), loss of topsoil through soil erosion (this will eventually affect the land, but may not be measurable for many years), loss of wildlife habitat, loss of groundwater recharge for aquifers and those that get their water from wells, if the water drains into a lake it may cause increased flooding of neighbor's lands as the lake takes on the excess water, if the water is running into a river it may have increased soil and nutrient pollution and increased flows during spring flood season or after large rain events, affecting many people downstream.

"The traditional way to get rich is to transfer your costs to someone else." --whether to your neighbor, the taxpayer, or the generations that follow your own. -from the article "Plowed Under"