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July 2022 1,234 producers
858,786 acres
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MN Agricultural Water Quality Certification Climate Smart Farms Project
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has received a $100,000 grant from the McKnight Foundation to help farmers evaluate climate-smart farming practices that can mitigate climate change, build farm resiliency, and may provide them with a new income stream. The money will be used for the new Climate Smart Farms Project, part of the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP).
The MAWQCP Climate Smart Farms Project delivers individualized service to MAWQCP-certified producers through piloting an opportunity to receive annual payments of $1,000, with the potential to continue annual participation up to 5 years. These bridge payment grants provide producers support as they work with local representatives to explore and prepare for evolving climate marketplaces and public programs. The purpose of the pilot project is to help producers access new and reliable earned income streams for the environmental benefits they are providing our state and nation.
The Climate Smart Farm Endorsement serves a support role in working with producers to identify the climate benefits within their production systems. The endorsement enables producers to explore the existing climate benefits they are producing and potential opportunities for additional actions unique and site-specific to their agricultural land and management.
The bridge payment grants are available to certified producers who have obtained the Climate Smart Farm Endorsement or are actively seeking the Endorsement. The grant application will open July 15, 2022 and can be accessed on the MAWQCP website. If you have questions applying, please contact your Certification Specialist.
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Annual Study Again Confirms Higher Profits for Ag Water Quality Certified Farms
Three years of data show the average income was more than $25,000 higher for MAWQCP farms
Farmers enrolled in the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program have higher profits than non-certified farms, according to a recent study by the Minnesota State Agricultural Centers of Excellence. This marks the third year of data highlighting improved financial outcomes.
The “Influence of Intensified Environmental Practices on Farm Profitability” study examined financial and crop production information from farmers enrolled in the Minnesota State Farm Business Management education program. The 94 MAWQCP farms in the study saw 2021 profits that were an average of more than $16,000 or 6% higher (median of almost $32,000 higher) than non-certified farms. Looking at three years of data, the average income was more than $25,000 higher for MAWQCP farms, or $16,000 higher for median income. Other key financial metrics are also better for those enrolled in the MAWQCP, such as debt-to-asset ratios and operating expense ratios.
The three years of data serve as an early indicator of a positive return on investment for whole-farm conservation management farmers implement to become certified.
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Meet a water quality certified producer
Bernie Paulson farms 525 acres of corn and soybeans between Madison Lake and Janesville. Bernie strives to be proactive about addressing water quality issues, and in 2016 he became Water Quality Certified.
Bernie has been in the crop consulting business for 30 plus years and currently owns and operates McPherson Crop Management. Over the years he has had the opportunity to see a wide range of production practices across the operations he works with in south central MN. This knowledge and experience led him to choose a ridge-till production system when he began farming on his own 24 years ago. He clearly saw that leaving more residue on the soil surface led to reduced soil loss and erosion compared to conventional tillage, and yields were equally as good.
Check out the MAWQCP story map to get to know some of the other certified producers across Minnesota.
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News and Events
Steve and Cheryl Schlangen awarded the 2022 U.S. Dairy Sustainability Award for Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability
The U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards program recognized a class of seven exceptional farms, businesses and partnerships for their socially responsible, economically viable and environmentally sound practices and technologies that have a broad and positive impact.
Steve and Cheryl Schlangen were awarded the 2022 U.S. Dairy Sustainability Award for Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability. Their mindset of continuous improvement is a way of life on their 60-cow, 200-acre farm in Stearns County, Minnesota. They count more than 30 conservation practices, from LED lighting and cover crops to a manure-stacking slab that prevents nutrient leaching into the water. In 2016 they became certified in the MN Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program and in 2021 were named the Stearns County SWCD Outstanding Conservationists. Their enthusiasm for sharing ideas and results with others has earned them a national reputation as leaders in regenerative agriculture.
Read the full story
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Tom Gregory selected as a 2022 Field to Market Farmer Spotlight Honoree
Field to Market announced Tom Gregory's award on June 22 during its June Plenary and General Assembly Meeting, recognizing his outstanding leadership in implementing innovative approaches to conservation on his farm.
Tom is driven to improve biodiversity, soil health, and water quality and leave behind naturally productive and abundant land for his children and grandchildren. He employs numerous conservation practices on his 600-cow dairy operation including feedlot upgrades, low-till, nutrient management, cover crops, filter strips, sediment and water control basins, and grassed waterways. Tom has been Water Quality Certified since 2015 and has participated in the Headwaters Agricultural Sustainability Partnership's Return on Investment project, which analyzes the relationship between on-farm conservation and finances over time.
Endorsed for Water Quality
Check out the latest episode of Dirt Rich, a podcast series from the Sustainable Farming Association focusing on seasonal conversations about food and farming.
Episode 53, "Endorsed for Water Quality," features a conversation about MAWQCP endorsements with certifiers Caroline D'Huyvetter and Herman Bartsch, and producer Dale Buendorf.
Listen to the podcast
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Polly Perkins and Dave Christianson own and operate L’Etoile du Nord Vineyard. They grow, harvest, and process grapes at the 40-acre farm into a variety of red and white wines, from Petite Pearl and Prairie Star to Sabrevois and Frontenac Blanc.
L’Etoile du Nord Vineyard is part of the Alexandria Lakes Area, a place rich with clean lakes and streams that, if protected, will provide residents with good water quality for generations to come. That’s why Perkins and Christianson became certified in the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program, taking actions to make their farm as sustainable and water-friendly as they can.
Read the full story
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Apply to host the We Are Water MN traveling exhibit
We Are Water MN is a traveling exhibit that examines water issues statewide and in local communities through a network of partnerships, a traveling exhibit, and public events. Applications are now being accepted to host the exhibit in 2023. This opportunity is open to Minnesota-based organizations (nonprofits or those with a nonprofit fiscal sponsor), tribal nations, and state/municipal public agencies. A statement of interest is due by July 22. More details can be found on the We Are Water MN website.
New opportunities for producers enrolled in the Ecosystem Service Market Consortium (ESMC)
The Nature Conservancy, Hormel Foods, Target and MBOLD officially announced a $1.7 million investment to incentivize farmer enrollment in the Ecosystem Service Market Consortium program. These commitments offer Minnesota’s producers and partners tools to address environmental challenges, bolster the agricultural economy, and serve as a prime example of how companies with shared supply chains can team up to accelerate the adoption of soil health practices.
Enrollees in the MN ESMC Pilot are now able to receive a flat rate incentive of $20/acre per year for two years for the implementation of new practices such as reduced tillage, cover crops and conservation crop rotations to significantly improve air and water quality, carbon sequestration and, importantly, farm profitability. Additional incentives up to $200/acre are also available for the implementation of new edge-of-field practices.
Interested in learning more? Join one of these on-line sessions to learn about the ESMC program, eligible practices, data requirements and the enrollment process:
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Certify your land, water and legacy for years to come.
Contact your local soil and water conservation district office to get started.
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MyLandMyLegacy.com
mda.mawqcp@state.mn.us
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