Farmers in Minnesota are using 10 to 15 percent more fertilizer than they need to maximize crop yields, one reason why drinking water across the state is increasingly contaminated with nitrogen, state agricultural officials say.
That is the incentive behind the state’s inaugural proposal to regulate farmers’ use of fertilizer, Minnesota Department of Agriculture officials said Tuesday as they made public the final version of a proposed regulation that has become a sore point between Governor Mark Dayton and Republican legislators.
Meanwhile, Dayton’s administration is moving forward with its proposed regulation, which has been years in the making.
But Hettver acknowledged that groundwater contamination "is a legitimate concern, and we need to be part of the solution."
It’s a modest step, but it sets up a good framework.” Environmental groups said that while the measure doesn’t go nearly far enough to fulfill the state’s responsibility to protect all groundwater, and not just drinking water, it is a start.
They also said the latest version now includes language that gives the agricultural commissioner greater latitude in forcing solutions to protecting water.
"It’s a modest step, but it sets up a good framework."
The state agriculture department considered, and then at the urging of farm interests rejected, a plan that would also cover private homeowners’ wells in rural townships.
Instead, the agricultural department will continue to support well testing and voluntary efforts by farmers to protect homeowners with private wells.
"A lot of our concerns have been addressed," said Thom Petersen of the Minnesota Farmers Union.