In her third time before the House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee to talk about nitrate contamination, Carrie Jennings likened soil and water health in southeast Minnesota to a patient hospitalized following years of unhealthy habits.
More farmers in the region need to adopt multiple healthy practices to address the immediate crisis, said Jennings, research and policy director at Freshwater. “We know these practices when used together will work.”
Direct payments could encourage more farmers to adopt more practices that protect water, improve soil health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which is the idea behind a bill heard by the committee on an informational basis Thursday.
Sponsored by Rep. Kristi Pursell (DFL-Northfield), HF4989, as modified by a delete-all amendment and then further amended, would pay farmers in 10 southeastern counties $20 per acre to participate in certain soil health practices through a new Karst Region Clean-Water, Climate-Smart and Soil-Healthy Farming Fund pilot program.
To be eligible for the funds, farmers would have to practice cover cropping, no-till or strip-till, and precision nutrient management. They would also have to follow at least two other practices that include: perennial cropping, interseeding (planting cover crops on the same field as cash crops), organic production, roll crimping, and managed rotational grazing.
Click here to read more mn.gov
Photo Credit: gettyimages-eugenesergeev
Categories: Minnesota, Crops, Weather