Rural Issue

Minnesota landowners need to get familiar with new buffer rule

Landowners will have to wait until next summer to find out how the new buffer rule may impact them.

Minnesota Farm Bureau policy specialist Doug Busselman says the Department of Natural Resources is expected to release maps, potentially in July of 2016.

“The DNR will be providing for counties the maps of what areas need to be buffered.  That would include public waters as well as ditches benefited by a public drainage system.”

He tells Brownfield once the maps are out, they will need to be evaluated.

“In terms of identifying whether or not those are actually the ones that fit the law, or if there’s need for changes.  But from there, the public waters that are defined by law will need to have an average 50 foot buffer installed by November first, 2017.”

Busselman says if land adjacent to a ditch is identified as for benefit of a public drainage system, a 16 ½ foot buffer will be required by November first, 2018.

He does caution landowners to wait until the maps are released before taking action.

“We’re somewhat concerned in some areas where there may be some exuberant agencies that are putting out information which might go above and beyond and twist things a little bit.”

Recently landowners in Lyon County received a letter that Farm Bureau says may have led to confusion about whether some land might already be in violation of the buffer law. Busselman says fines for non-compliance can’t be issued until 11 months after November first, 2017 for public waterways and one year later for land adjacent to ditches.