The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) announced a new collaboration among the MDA, Cedar River Watershed District, CFS Cooperative, Hormel Foods Corporation, Land O'Lakes SUSTAIN, the Environmental Initiative, and the Mower County Soil and Water Conservation District.
This public-private partnership, aimed at reducing flooding and improving water quality in the Cedar River watershed located in southeastern Minnesota, grew out of an agreement to enhance the state's water quality signed in 2016 by Governor Mark Dayton and Land O'Lakes.
Photo: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
The partnership will engage CFS Cooperative, Land O'Lakes, and farmers located within the Cedar River Watershed to enable more precision agricultural practices and lead to farmers' participation in the voluntary Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program, a 10-year guarantee of regulatory certainty in exchange for farmer-implemented conservation practices. Land O'Lakes and CFS help farmers become certified through direct education and technical assistance.