On Wednesday, March 11, Waseca County and co-sponsors will host their annual meeting known as the Farmer Forum at Farmamerica from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This year’s event will feature Jason Garms, the new Agricultural Program Liaison for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Garms will discuss proposed changes by Governor Dayton regarding the implementation of the existing shoreland buffer law. Minnesota has required buffer strips on farmland for years to prevent nutrients, sediment, pollutants, manure, pesticides, etc. from entering and harming our water. However, the law is not uniformly enforced in each county. Governor Dayton announced in January that there is a need to amend the law and assign the DNR to take on this responsibility in order to make it consistent. Our public waterways bordering agricultural field have rules that affect their use and the use of the adjoining shoreland. Buffer strips have been in the drainage law since 1959 and have been included in DNR requirements for some time. Penalties for noncompliance would help provide funding for the proposed program. At the forum, Garms will provide an update on the proposed law change and provide farmers and property owners an opportunity to ask questions and get more information.
“I recognize this will not be well received by some private landowners,” Dayton said at the DNR’s annual meeting for conservationists held in January. “The land may be yours, but the water belongs to all of us.”Other speakers will feature details about some of the latest methods to treat farm drainage water and will provide information about the costs and the effectiveness of these systems. A speaker from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency will discuss feedlot regulation and permitting. The featured business this year is Crystal Valley Co-Op.
The planned agenda:
• 9 a.m. — Welcome, opening remarks. Moderator Gyles Randall, soil scientist and professor, retired, U of M Southern Research and Outreach Center.
• 9:15 a.m. — The Governor’s Buffer Initiative. Jason Garms, Agriculture Program Liaison (MN DNR) and Minnesota farmer, will provide details regarding plans by the DNR to develop and implement buffer requirements, and their plans to work cooperatively to increase conservation in agricultural areas of the state.
• 10 a.m. — Integrated Drainage & Wetland Landscape Systems, Challenges & Opportunities. Shawn Richmond, Iowa CREP Program Coordinator, will present an overview of a pilot program in Iowa that seeks to establish a market driven approach for integrating water quality wetlands into drainage infrastructure to achieve both increased environmentasl and agronomic outcomes.
• 11 a.m. — Iowa STRIPS (Science-based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairie Strips). Timothy Youngquist, Agricultoral Specialist, Iowa State University, will the Iowa STRIPS team’s innovative research project which shows that strategically converting just 10 percent of a crop field into perennial prairie can reduce offsite sediment export and phosphorous and nitrogen loss.
• 12 noon — Lunch.
• 12:30 p.m. — Saturating Riparian Buffers In Tile Drained Landscapes for Nitrate Removal. Dr. Dan Jaynes, Soil Scientist, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, will outline using re-routed field tile in conjunction with saturated buffers to increase nitrate removal.
• 1:30 p.m. — Focus on Feedlots. Desiree Hohenstein, environment specialist, MPCA Feedlot East Unit, will talk about feedlot recordkeeping and permitting requirements.
• 2:15 p.m. — Featured business, Crystal Valley Cooperative. Jay Schlomann, agronomy salesman, Waldorf, will present a brief history of the company, a summary of the cooperative’s services and a discussion of some current issues facing agriculture.
• 2:45 p.m. — Closing comments. Michael Hintz, Waseca County Board of Commissioners Chairman, and Mark Leiferman, Waseca County Planning & Zoning Administrator.
The forum is sponsored by Waseca County, the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources and the MPCA. The event is co-sponsored by Roundbank of Waseca and Waldorf, Janesville State Bank, First National Bank of Waseca, State Bank of New Richland and United Prairie Bank of Waseca. With the help of these sponsors, the forum is offered to the landowners of the county at no charge ($10 cost for those outside Waseca County). The day includes morning refreshments and lunch prepared by Hy-Vee Foods of Waseca. Approximately 1200 flyers were printed and sent out to farmers and property owners that have land adjacent to shoreland and protected waterways.
“Waseca County recognizes that farming and agriculture are critical to the prosperity of our county and the region,” said Hintz. “This is our 5th Annual Farmer Forum and the focus is on providing information to our farmers that is relevant to and may impact their operations and the way they do business.
Registration is needed by March 4. Anyone interested in attending can call Shelley Hyatt at the Waseca County Planning and Zoning office at (507) 835-0653 and leave a message with name, address and phone number.