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Dayton declares year of water action in Minnesota

Governor Mark Dayton has declared the next 12 months as the year of water action in Minnesota.

Dayton is urging businesses, the ag industry and communities to take steps to conserve and improve water quality.

Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA) executive director Adam Birr says the declaration is an outgrowth of the Water Quality Summit hosted by the governor earlier this year.

“With the upcoming legislative session, I suspect there will be policies and (other) things for us to be on the lookout for.  Whether they’ll look like the buffer announcement of last year…that remains to be seen.”

Dayton says he and his administration will spend the next year visiting school classrooms, water treatment facilities and farms to encourage Minnesotans to learn more about the water challenges facing the state.

Birr tells Brownfield the issue is nothing new for the Corn Growers.

“What can we do to build on the activities that we’ve already done around water, recognizing that this is going to be a point of emphasis not just for the governor, but we know consumers are taking an increased interest in where their food comes from as well as the environmental impact of agricultural practices.”

Birr says MCGA has funded numerous research projects in recent years that not only look at the production side but also environmental aspects of modern farming.