Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality
Certification Program Joins Field to Market Sustainability Efforts
St. Paul, MN: The
Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP) announced
today that it has joined Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture,
a national organization working to meet the challenge of producing enough food,
fiber, and fuel for a rapidly growing population while conserving natural
resources.
“We feel the Ag Water
Quality Certification Program and Field to Market are a great fit together as
Minnesota looks to be a national leader in water quality and sustainability
efforts,” said Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson. “As a member, we will be connected with the
network of organizations and farmers participating in Field to Market, and will
be a collaborator on cutting edge projects to improve the agricultural supply
chain.”
The Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification
Program is a voluntary program for farmers and landowners to take the lead in
implementing conservation practices that protect and improve the state’s water
resources. The program now has over 580 producers across Minnesota helping
improve water quality on over 370,000 acres. Together, the program keeps over 30
million pounds of sediment out of our rivers, while saving nearly 67 million
pounds of soil and 17,900 pounds of phosphorous on farms, each year.
As a member in Field to Market, the MAWQCP will work
together with grower organizations, academia, conservation groups, public
sector partners, and leading companies at a national level to continue to improve
water quality, water use efficiency, and land use efficiency while reducing
soil erosion and greenhouse gas emissions.
“We
are pleased to welcome MAWQCP to our membership and look forward to forging
greater public-private partnerships in Minnesota to support farmers in
improving water quality outcomes,”
said Rod Snyder, president of Field to Market. “Working with MAWQCP and the
Minnesota Department of Agriculture will be a great addition to state-level
leadership within Field to Market.”
Through innovative tools and resources developed by Field to
Market, farmers and organizations across the supply chain are able to better
understand sustainability at the field, local, and national levels and continue
to advance improvements on the landscape. It is the goal of Field to Market to
engage 20 percent of U.S. crop production acres in its supply chain
sustainability programs by 2020.
About Field to Market
Field to Market: The
Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture brings together a diverse group of grower
organizations; agribusinesses; food, beverage, restaurant and retail companies;
conservation groups; universities and public sector partners to focus on
defining, measuring and advancing the sustainability of food, fiber and fuel
production. Field to Market is comprised of more than 135 members representing
all facets of the U.S. agricultural supply chain, with members employing more
than 5 million people and representing combined revenues totaling over $1.5
trillion.
About the Minnesota Agricultural
Water Quality Certification Program
The Minnesota
Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program is a voluntary opportunity
for farmers and agricultural landowners to take the lead in implementing
conservation practices that protect our water. Those who implement and maintain
approved farm management practices will be certified and in turn obtain
regulatory certainty for a period of ten years. After a successful pilot phase
in 2014-2015, the program is now available to farmers and landowners statewide.
To date, the program has certified over 580 farms totaling more than 370,000
acres. More information is available at MyLandMyLegacy.com.
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