Governor Walz Celebrates One Million Acres Enrolled in the Minnesota Ag Water Quality Certification Program
 On Friday Governor Tim Walz announced that Minnesota farmers and landowners have enrolled one million acres in the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP). The Governor made the announcement at the farm of Eric Heins of Altura. Heins represents one of the 1,400 farmers who’ve become certified since the program began in 2014.
“Our Ag Water Quality Certification Program ensures our lakes, rivers and drinking water are protected for future generations,” said Governor Walz. “Farmers understand this. They are stewards of our natural resources, and they’re stepping up to make meaningful changes to their operations to protect our land and water.”
The Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP) is a voluntary program for farmers and landowners that protects the state’s water resources. To date, Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality certified farms have added over 2,700 new conservation practices that protect Minnesota’s waters. Those new practices have kept nearly 48,000 tons of sediment out of Minnesota rivers while saving 141,000 tons of soil and 59,000 pounds of phosphorous on farms each year. The conservation practices have also reduced nitrogen loss up to 49% and cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50,000 tons per year.
“We’re excited to hit this million-acre milestone and recognize all the farmers and landowners that have stepped up to become part of the Ag Water Quality Certification Program,” said Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen. “This is a unique program that allows farmers to highlight their conservation work, get access to funding assistance, and ensure they are compliant with the latest regulations. I encourage farmers and landowners to look into the advantages of certifying their land.”
Simple process, big impact
 Bob Worth, president of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association, talked about issues facing area soybean farmers with U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach. Fischbach was among the state and national officials visiting the Worth family farm near Lake Benton, to recognize its enrollment in the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program.
It was a simple process – but one that could have a big impact for Minnesota soybean farmers, Bob Worth said.
Worth, the president of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association and a Lake Benton area farmer, recently enrolled in the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP). The program gives farmers a chance to implement conservation practices in their fields, and get a 10-year certification deeming them in compliance with water quality rules.
Worth said a lot of those conservation practices are ones that Minnesota farmers may already be doing.
“It’s so simple. I don’t think people realize it,” Worth said of working through the certification program.
A group of state and national officials, including Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen, state Sen. Bill Weber and U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach, visited the Worth family farm to talk about the certification program.
"The practices Bob and his family have put in place are essential for keeping water on the land,” Weber said. “It’s really important in a year like this.”
“This shows me that when we’re looking at policy in Washington, farmers are the first conservationists,” Fischbach said of the program.
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'It made sense': Minnesota farmer promotes his passion for conservation
 By being recognized as Minnesota's Outstanding Conservationist by the Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (MASWCD), Janski Farms are proactive in their role as stewards of the land.
Dan Janski, a fourth-generation grower, thought is passion was dairy until he discovered regenerative agriculture, leading to his enrollment in the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program.
"Our farm started experimenting with cover crops in 2016 or 2017, which really opened up a different world for me," said Janski, who farms alongside four generations of his family, including his parents and brother. "It was kind of exciting. It was something new that we weren't familiar with, and it was fun to learn about. Now it's become my passion."
Janski Farms tapped into MAWQCP as a resource when the operation wanted to take the leap in experimenting with its production practices. By taking advantage of technical and financial assistance available through the program, Janski viewed the MAWQCP as a saftey net.
"One of the main reasons we went through the MAWQCP was because we were very nervous about experimenting with multi-species cover crops," Janski said. "Because it's very expensive and how do you know you're getting that return on investment when you spend all that money on the seed?"
Though the financial assistance was a motivator that helped them take the initial leap, Janski would do it all again even if it wasn't available.
"There's so much of a benefit to doing those things that's sometimes it's hard to measure," he said.
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