In a move that will give Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton a weaker hand in implementing his idea to strengthen and expand Minnesota's buffer strip laws and enforcement, the Minnesota Farmers Union county presidents have passed a Special Order of Business that supports existing law and local enforcement.
The order also asks for the Board of Water and Soil Resources Drainage Working Group to study the issue and report back to the 2016 state legislature .
Dayton proposed 50-foot buffer strips of vegetation along waterways and state enforcement of buffer strip laws after Pheasant Summit attendees picked the idea as its top choice for helping to keep habitat for pheasants in the state.
Here's the message sent out today by MFU Governmental Affairs Director Thom Petersen:
On behalf of the membership of the Minnesota Farmers Union and President Doug Peterson, I wanted to pass along this Special Order of Business that passed unanimously at out MFU full Board meeting made up of our County Presidents this past weekend regarding buffers. MFU is strongly supportive of buffers, but our members clearly feel the need of buffer strips greatly varies throughout the state one size doesn’t fit all, and furthermore there are a lot of questions in the countryside about this issue. MFU sincerely appreciates the time state agencies have spent so far reaching out to our members and MFU remains committed to working with legislators and state agencies to come up with a program that address’s water quality and still is a common sense approach run by local officials and works for farmers.
Whereas Governor Mark Dayton has proposed a 50 foot buffer on all public waterways, and
Whereas, Minnesota Farmers Union recognizes and supports the important and positive impact buffers can have on water quality, habitat, and soil loss, and
Whereas, the Minnesota Farmers Union Full Board of Directors (Made up of all County Presidents) feels this is an important issue that will involve many important decisions for farmers, local government and state officials and needs to be done with proper time and input, and
Now Therefore Be it Resolved that the Minnesota Farmers Union Full Board of Directors supports state agencies work to clarify regarding buffers; the existing law, what programs are available as financial incentives, current enforcement activities, current inventory of buffers, and opportunities for haying and grazing, and
Furthermore, the Minnesota Farmers Union Full Board of Directors supports the Legislature directing the Board of Water and Soil Resources Drainage Working Group be charged to study the buffer issue including current law need, funding options and use of buffers on public waters and report back to the 2016 Legislature.
Passed Unanimously at MFU Full Board Meeting Saturday Feb. 21st, 2015
Disclosure: Sally Jo Sorensen, editor and proprietor of Bluestem Prairie, is a member of the Minnesota Farmers Union and served on the group's policy committee from 2013-2014. Members are term limited to serving two year on the committee.
Photo: An illustration from western Minnesota of a farmer violating existing law. Via Pioneer Press.
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