2017-3-27: Minnesota Ag Water Quality Certification Program tops 200,000 acres

(St. Paul, Minn.) Over 200,000 acres of Minnesota farmland is now enrolled in the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP). The program marked the milestone today at Dave Lochen’s Shore Acres Farm near Kimball in Stearns County. Shore Acres Farm is a beef cattle and diversified crop operation growing seed and sweet corn, soybeans, and wheat. The MAWQCP is a voluntary program for farmers and landowners that protects the state’s water resources. Since the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program’s inception under Governor Mark Dayton in 2014, 365 farms have been certified across Minnesota. To date, Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality certified farms have added 628 new conservation practices that protect Minnesota’s waters. Those new practices have kept over 12.1 million pounds of sediment out of Minnesota rivers while saving nearly 17.4 million pounds of soil and 7,414 pounds of phosphorous on farms each year. Those numbers will increase as more landowners enroll in the program. The MAWQCP puts farmers in touch with local conservation experts to identify and mitigate any risks their farm poses to water quality. Through the MAWQCP, Lochen worked with Mark Lefebvre from the Stearns County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) to look for ways he could continue to protect Minnesota’s water resources. In cooperation with Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) across the state, the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program became available statewide in 2015. After being certified, each farm is deemed to be in compliance with new water quality laws and regulations for 10 years. Certification is also an approved practice farmers can use to comply with the state buffer law, and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency rewards certified farms by placing their applications first in line for feedlot permitting. Certified farmers and landowners can use their certification status to promote their businesses as protective of water quality. Those interested in the program can contact their local SWCD office.