Minnesota Ag Conservation Program

The Conservation Security Program (CSP) has finally arrived in the upper Minnesota River Watershed. Five Minnesota watersheds were selected for the second sign-up by the Washington, D.C. NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service). These include watershed of the Root, Sauk, Red Eye, Red Lake and Redwood Rivers.

Previously, the Minnesota NRCS, with input from interested groups, prioritized all the watersheds in the state. Minnesota NRCS submitted some of the top ranked watersheds, which also provided a good geographical distribution pattern within the state, to Washington, DC. They then selected watersheds for all the states. This process will be followed over the next eight years until every farmer is given a chance to apply. There are about 80,000 farmers in Minnesota, so each sign-up will include sufficient numbers of watersheds to contain about 10,000 farmers.

Farmers who miss qualifying for their first opportunity to sign-up will not be given a second chance for at least another 8 years. For this reason, it is imperative that farmers immediately find out what is required to ensure that they qualify. For example, even a farmer who uses excellent soil and water management practices within their operations cannot qualify to apply unless they have had a certified soil sample analysis conducted during the past 4 years in each of their eligible fields.

This required information was not made known to farmers during Minnesota's first CSP sign-up in the Blue Earth Watershed until after the short (July 5-30, 2004) sign-up period had already been initiated. Farmers should contact the county NRCS offices within the Redwood River watershed to obtain important CSP pre-sign-up information if it has not already been distributed to them. The actual sign-up date has not been announced as this is being written (Dec. 2004), but it is projected to begin sometime in January 2005.

The Administration has consistently taken actions at the national level to reduce farmer CSP participation by implementing restrictive regulations, reducing payments, limiting sign-ups to specifically selected watersheds, and restricting sign-up periods. Even with these unnecessary restrictions, 280 farmers in the Blue Earth River Watershed signed up and qualified for CSP payments, the most in the nation last year.

The CSP still provides the greatest opportunity ever to simultaneously reward the nest stewards of our farmlands, encourage other farmers to meet soil and water management goals, and achieve significant improvement of our impaired rivers and lakes. CURE has been actively involved in the CSP process since 1999. We will be working to ensure that the maximum numbers of farmers within the Redwood River watershed are made aware of the programs benefits. 

The St. Paul Corps District is re-submitting its Reconnaissance Study Report to their Division Headquarters after incorporating some minor Division comments. The report contains letters-of-interest from the Department of Natural Resources, Pollution Control Agency, University of Minnesota, the Metropolitan Council and the Nature Conservancy to cost-share the proposed Comprehensive Watershed Analysis Study. Non-federal cost-share partners are necessary in order for the Corps to proceed forward with conducting this study and eventually implementing on-the-ground projects which will help improve water quality, reduce flooding, and create fish and wildlife habitat.

Some people will always say we have done enough studies and have enough data to know how to clean up the Minnesota River and its tributaries. In a general sense and with an unlimited budget, this may be true. With a very restricted project budget, though, a comprehensive watershed study is absolutely necessary in order to identify and prioritize the very best potential projects, which will simultaneously maximize societal benefits. For instance, it should answer a question like, what are the best 50,000 acres of drained wetlands and wetland/lake complexes to restore in order to maximize these water quality, flood reduction, and habitat benefits? It also will document impacts of current and past watershed modifications and identify solutions for the future.

Adequate funding of the Corps Study and future cooperative projects by both the State and Federal Government is mandatory if we citizens of the Minnesota River Watershed ever expect to see our rivers and lakes meet Clean Water Act standards and achieve other rural societal benefits.

The proposed next step by the Corps is to hold a two-day workshop later this winter with all potential cooperators and cost-share Funders to identify exactly what each potential funding agency wants to achieve within the cooperative study and is willing to contribute to the comprehensive Watershed Analysis Study process.

The Corps study and project implementation initiative, if completed and adequately funded has the potential to restore ecological health to major areas within our watershed. Coupled with ongoing implementation of the Conservation Security Program within the 2002 Farm Bill, the potential exists to dramatically improve water quality, reduce flooding, increase fish and wildlife habitat, and create a vibrant rural economy based not only on sustainable agriculture but also outdoor recreation and tourism.

Click here to read more on how the project began...........

Mankato Free Press