The big ‘Halloween blizzard’ of 1991 did more than dump 30 inches of snow across much of the state. Preventing late fall plowing, it persuaded farmer Charlie Cunningham the following spring to unhook the plow and start using “no-till” for raising soybeans.

“The blizzard shut us down,” Charlie says. When the spring of 1992 rolled around, he and his farming partners decided to forgo plowing, and use a “drill” to plant soybeans directly into fields still covered by the previous year’s corn stalks.

Charlie, his brother John, and third partner, Cal Freeman, grow corn and soybeans rotated on 3,200 acres of gently rolling cropland southwest of Atwater in Kandiyohi County. Their corn is planted after field cultivating – another method of minimum tillage – in the previous year’s soybean fields.

Today, soil experts are busy promoting the idea that little or no plowing cropland offers many benefits. It reduces production costs, improves soil health, reduces soil erosion and runoff, and yet still allows good crop yields. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has designated 2015 as the International Year of Soil.

Cal Freeman says the crop residue has increased their soil organic matter to nearly 6 percent. A 1 percent increase in soil organic matter can hold an additional 75,000-100,000 gallons of water per acre. This allows it to drain more slowly, which can help even out the erosive flow of water in streams and rivers.

Since 1992, improvements in equipment, fertilizers, and herbicides have made it easier, Charlie says. Along with less time needed for field work, no-till is less expensive. “There’s absolutely less input cost.” And their crop yields match anyone in the neighborhood, Cal says.

Minnesotans feel strongly about their iconic lakes and are uniquely active in protecting them. Citizens around the state are responding to water quality threats to their beloved lakes. Their work, in some cases, has been going on for decades, and the MPCA recognizes their critical role in defending lakes from a variety of contaminants. A few examples:

Lake Volney — A local association has worked for decades to improve Lake Volney in Le Sueur County, near Le Center. They’ve taken on wetland restoration, buffer strips, stream bank stabilization, raingardens, annual cleanups, and working with farmers to adopt beneficial practices. The lake has gone from algae covered in the 1990s to good water clarity in 2013.

Lake Shaokatan —Located near Ivanhoe in Lincoln County, Lake Shaokatan is in a watershed dominated by agriculture and has suffered from excess runoff of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. It has extensive algae blooms in the summer — including blue-green algae which is toxic to humans and pets — and has seen periodic fish kills. A partnership of state and federal agencies, local governments, and local groups began by addressing malfunctioning septic systems near the shore, runoff from animal feedlots, and wetlands restoration. Ongoing efforts continue to bring improvements in the lake’s water quality.

Lake Winona — A group scientists, residents, and local officials calling themselves Healthy Lake Winona has formed recently in order to look at ways to improve water quality in Lake Winona in southeast Minnesota (photo above). The lake is burdened with excess phosphorus, which can cause algae growth, reduce water clarity, and kill fish. One source of the phosphorus is stormwater runoff that carries fertilizers, leaves, and grass clippings. The group hopes to promote residential rain gardens that can reduce stormwater and to educate city residents on keeping debris out of storm drains.

The Minnesota Waters web site has a list of and links to the state’s active network of lake associations and rivers organizations, which are critical to protecting water quality in the state. The sheer number of lake and river organizations demonstrates how important our water resources are to Minnesotans. 

Across Minnesota, more than 1,300 volunteers help protect our water quality through the Citizen Monitoring programs. But more help is needed.

“69,000 miles of rivers and over 12,000 lakes is a lot of water to cover,” says Laurie Sovell, coordinator of the MPCA’s Citizen Stream Monitoring Program. “We are looking for people curious about local water bodies and passionate about protecting our state’s water resources.”

The Citizen Stream and Citizen Lake Monitoring Programs offer the opportunity to participate in the long-term protection of lakes and streams by collecting valuable information the state will use to make decisions to maintain and improve the health of our waters.

As part of the program, volunteers are asked to perform a short and simple water clarity test at their favorite lake or stream, once per week throughout the summer. Equipment and training are provided by the MPCA and no prior experience is necessary. For some lakes and streams, volunteer-collected data is the only data available, making citizen involvement critical to ensuring the lasting health of Minnesota’s waters.

Find out if your favorite lake or stream needs monitoring by using an interactive map on the agency's website.

To become a volunteer or learn more about the program, visit the program’s citizen monitoring webpage, or call 651-296-6300 (Twin Cities) or 1-800-657-3864 (Greater Minnesota).