Late last week Commissioner of Agriculture Dave Frederickson was at Dave Legvold's farm just north of Northfield. Legvold is a retired educator and dedicated conservationist who has operated his family's corn and soybean farm since 1976. The ag media was invited out to Dave's farm by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture was rolling out a new voluntary program called the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program, or MAWQCP. We in agriculture love acronyms, don't we?

The MAWQCP will help farmers and land owners do everything they can to protect their land and Minnesota's water quality. This program is a little different than many conservation programs. It is not a "one size fits all." Rather it is an evaluation of each field and it is voluntary. Land owners and farmers will work with their local soil and water conservation district to see if there are some things they can do to protect their land. In many cases, farmers are already doing everything they can and they will be certified. If a problem is identified, the local SWCD can help with the problem and access any cost-share programs available. When a farm is certified, it will be exempt from any further laws or regulations that might be passed for 10 years. For more information, go to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture website.

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