More precipitation. More frequent extreme storms. Delayed planting. Longer heat waves. From hog farmers to corn growers, climate change is negatively affecting Minnesota’s agricultural producers. On the web: Farmers face new challenges for crops, livestock.
The good news? Our farmers are on the leading edge when it comes to adaptation, and can play a pivotal role in implementing solutions that support a healthy climate. Agricultural best management practices (BMPs) that improve soil health and protect our water can also reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increase our resiliency to the climate changes that are already underway.
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State water plan and soil health
In late September, MPCA Commissioner Laura Bishop visited Olmsted SWCD's Soil Health Farm along with representatives from Minnesota’s Department of Agriculture and Environmental Quality Board (EQB) to highlight practical solutions like expanding cover crops and planting vegetative buffers. (Photo: Martin Larsen of the Olmsted SWCD shows the amount of crop residue that helps build soil health to Katie Pratt, EQB executive director during the September tour.) You can read more about the connections between climate change and agriculture in these recent reports from state agencies:
Minnesota has set a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050, but we’re not on track to meet this goal. Agriculture accounts for approximately one-quarter of Minnesota’s GHG emissions, but through best practices and smart land management we can reduce emissions and help our working lands hold more carbon in the soil.
To reduce the worst impacts of climate change and increase community resilience, Governor Walz has tasked a group of state leaders – the Climate Change Subcabinet – with identifying and advancing innovative climate policy solutions in our state. Learn more about the subcabinet and explore the rest of the new Our Minnesota Climate website for more information on how climate change is affecting Minnesotans today, the bold initiatives and policies state agencies are leading, and examples of businesses and communities taking climate action.
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Online registration service for feedlots
Registration of livestock feedlots and manure storage areas with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is now available through a new online registration service. Paper forms, forms submitted via U.S. mail, and e-mail submittals have been discontinued.
Anyone may use the new service, including feedlot owners, operators, consultants, and county and state inspectors. The online registration service offers several benefits:
- It will be quick and easy to use.
- It can be accessed 24/7 using a computer or smart phone.
- Registrants will receive a confirmation email upon submittal.
- The confirmation email will serve as the registration receipt.
Access to the on-line registration service and instructions is located on the MPCA e-services webpage. Registration includes basic feedlot information such as location, type of operation and number of livestock including poultry. Some counties delegated to administer the feedlot rule may continue to register feedlots and manure storage areas with paper forms.
For more information about feedlot registration, see the MPCA feedlot registration factsheet on the registration webpage, or call your MPCA area office or delegated county feedlot officer listed on these webpages: www.pca.state.mn.us/water/mpca-feedlot-staff-contacts, www.pca.state.mn.us/water/county-feedlot-program.
2021-26 NPDES general permit
The MPCA has made significant progress on responses to the more than 140 comments received during the public notice period for the 2021-26 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) general perrmit for feedlots. The final proposed permit and response to comments will be posted on the MPCA feedlot permit webpage toward the end of November. The current five-year NPDES general permit expires Jan. 31, 2021. However, it will continue to provide coverage until the new permit is available, providing that current permit holders submit an application before then.
Development is progressing with the online service to apply for the NPDES general permit; however, it is not expected to be available until the spring of 2021. Due to the expected significant improvements in efficiency with the online service, the MPCA will not be taking full applications for coverage under the 2021 general NPDES permit until the online application service is available. However, to ensure coverage under the existing general NPDES extends over this period, the MPCA will the ask current permit holders to submit a short and simple pre-application sometime before the end of the year. The MPCA currently is developing the pre-application form and expects to have it available by Dec.1. Check the MPCA feedlot program permit page for progress and updates.
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'New' feedlot rule 20 years later
This fall marks the 20th anniversary of a major overhaul of Minnesota’s rule regulating feedlots. Starting from the first “agricultural waste” rule in 1971, Chapter 7020 evolved in step with major changes in the livestock industry, from most livestock being on thousands of small farms, to a majority now housed at large, concentrated operations.
Over the past 20 years MPCA feedlot program staff have strived to work with livestock producers, providing assistance, inspections and information, about the rule, permits and environmental practices. Since the early 2000s they have attended livestock conventions and other events to build working relationships, which today are manifest in a livestock industry that overall thrives along with environmental stewardship.
In the wake of the so-called ‘hog wars’ of the 1990s, an in-depth study of the state’s livestock industry led to a major 7020 rule revision effective in October 2000. Since then, Minnesota’s total swine inventory grew from 5.8 million head, to 9.5 million head in 2019. The total beef, dairy, and turkey inventories declined slightly during that time.
As the swine industry grew, so did public opposition to odor and gases emanating from open manure basins. In response, the state Legislature enacted a law banning open swine manure basins. Today, swine barns are built over concrete storage pits, which help contain the air emissions.
With the 2000 rule update, most feedlots were no longer required to have an operating permit, but all are required to register. Permits are required only for those needing work to correct a pollution issue, building or expanding a feedlot to 300 animal units or more, or with 1,000 animal units or more.
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For Minnesota farmers who apply manure, it can be difficult to know how much nitrogen (N) is in the manure they’re applying and when it is available to the crop. This makes it hard to make decisions about how much additional N fertilizer to apply. An ongoing study by the University of Minnesota is studying six different types of manure over several years in an effort to update the university’s manure guidelines. One of the key takeaways from the study so far is that the amount of bedding in the manure matters. Read more.
UM Extension Minnesota Crop News: Meeting the challenge of manure’s fixed nutrient content
The fixed nutrient ratios of manure don’t always line up with the ratios that crops need, which means you’ll almost inevitably over- or under-apply some nutrients. Overapplication of a nutrient can lead to pollution, while underapplication can lead to nutrient deficiencies or the need to pay for additional commercial fertilizer. What can you do to meet this tricky challenge of manure? Read more: z.umn.edu/5z5y
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With all the talk about health these days, if you really want to get down to earth about it, consider the health of the soil beneath your feet. Increasing numbers of farmers are doing just that, improving soil health to make cropland productive, provide environmental benefits for water quality, and even address climate change.
In the Morris and Appleton areas of western Minnesota, about a dozen farmers have teamed up to learn about improving soil health, and finding ways to do it. Their effort fits in with recent scientific studies about water quality in the Pomme de Terre River Watershed, and cooperation among the six counties it touches.
This past year the Pomme de Terre River Association Soil Health Team has met three times, and held a field day (photo) to share ideas about soil health, techniques, and funding. Almost as important, they find support to take risks in a field facing many challenges, from equipment costs to social acceptance.
“It’s a slow process,” says Paul Groneberg, a farmer, crop consultant, and soil health team member. “Change comes hard, and mentoring is a big thing. One of the biggest benefits of the team is the interchange of ideas. One of our main objectives is to get more education and more farmers involved.” Later this fall or winter a video from the Sept. 9 field day will be posted on the University of Minnesota-Extension web page.
With climate change clearly occurring, Groneberg says reduced-tillage practices, cover crops, and other soil health practices will help by improving infiltration. More vegetation can help sequester carbon. An MPCA report estimates the impact of 21 different agriculture best practices on greenhouse gas emissions. For example, grass buffers can reduce greenhouse gas emission by as much as 0.77 tons per acre, according to the report.
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This year’s Soil Management Summit (SMS), formerly known as the Conservation Tillage Conference or CTC, will be online Dec. 15 and 16. Topics include tillage erosion, soil organic matter and water dynamics, and the conference staple - a panel of farmers sharing their own personal experiences with soil management. J. Gordon Arbuckle (photo), a professor of sociology from Iowa State University whose research helps stakeholders maintain or enhance long-term agricultural productivity, will explore the sociology of soil management.
Ask the Expert: A No-till Q&A with Kent Vlieger
In this No-Till November Ask the Expert, Kent Vlieger, the State Soil Health Specialist for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Huron, South Dakota, answers a few questions about the benefits of using a no-till and cover crop system to improve soil health and water quality while reducing erosion.
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Mallery Jerseys is now certified through the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program, and the Chisago County Soil and Water Conservation District has named them Outstanding Conservationists for 2020. One of only a handful of operating dairy farms in Chisago County, the 485-acre farm located along the escarpment of the St. Croix River has worked to help protect water quality of the river.
The Mallerys have installed buffers, diversions, water and sediment control basins, and grade stabilizations to fix gullies and reduce erosion. In 2017 they began focusing on building soil health through no-till management, conservation crop rotation, and planting cover crops. In 2018, they created a Nutrient Management Plan and have since installed a stacking slab and vegetative treatment areas. These practices help protect the St. Croix River, which offers good water quality, excellent fisheries, and exceptional recreation, according to a recent MPCA report. Photo: Nancy Mallory, Jeff and Karla Mallery with children Eddie, Tommy and Libbie.
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In the September issue:
- Field to Market project launched in the Sauk River Watershed
- Small grant has big impact: MAWQCP supplemental grant program exceeds $2.8 million in conservation
- The Groundwater Protection Rule
- Meet a Water Quality Certified producer
- Beyond water quality certification
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The flow of groundwater in southeast Minnesota is fascinating and complex because the unique geology is like no other area of the state. A new video series explores the movement of groundwater with realistic graphics, animation, and aerial footage of the region’s geology. Viewers can learn how water-soluble contaminants like nitrate-nitrogen can enter drinking water wells and streams.
See the five short videos and three graphics at www.mda.state.mn.us/segwresources, or view each video using the links below:
This is a collaborative effort of the Root River Field to Stream Partnership, Minnesota Geological Survey, county and state agencies, University of Minnesota Extension, and input from local well drillers, farmers, and rural homeowners. Funding for this project was provided by the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Fund and a grant from the Minnesota Corn Research and Promotion Council.
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During the early months of the Covid pandemic, when market hogs could not be shipped to shuttered processing plants, composting proved to be very effective in disposing of carcasses. One large-scale producer reports composting about 66,000 carcasses (photo).
The state Department of Agriculture and Board of Animal Health provided two sites in southern Minnesota, which composted about 20,500 market-weight hog carcasses along with 18,800 breeder turkey carcasses. Operations ceased around the end of June, when curtailing production and re-opening processing plants reduced demand. Correct composting is achieved by mixing ground carcasses with wood chips and forming large piles, where microbes break down the material to be spread on cropland as fertilizer. Minnesota livestock producers learned from the experience and successfully managed the emergency, with the main drawback doing so under wet weather.
Applications due Nov. 30 for livestock processing mini-grants
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is opening up a second round of grants aimed at livestock processing plants and producers to increase capacity for slaughter, processing, and storage in the wake of supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Rapid Response Mini-Grant for Livestock Processing will offer from $1,000 to $5,000 to applicants to offset the cost of expenses such as adding coolers, refrigeration units, slaughter, and processing equipment.
Applications will be accepted until 4 p.m. on November 30, 2020, or until all funds are depleted, on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications must be submitted through our online application system. For more information, visit our Rapid Response Mini-Grant For Livestock Processing webpage or email Courtney VanderMey at courtney.vandermey@state.mn.us.
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While the pandemic doesn’t stop crop and livestock production, their celebration at agriculture trade shows will be a bit muted this winter. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency feedlot program will not be an exhibitor as in-person trade shows are being cancelled. Check ag group websites for schedules and login details for virtual education and other meetings.
The Minnesota Pork Producers Association is cancelling the 2021 Minnesota Pork Congress, originally scheduled for Jan. 19-20. Advance payments will be partially refunded. Plans will continue for the 2022 show at the Minneapolis Convention Center.
The Minnesota Corn Growers Association and Minnesota Soybean Growers Association will hold their annual meetings on Jan. 20 at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center in Mankato. Their Minnesota Ag Expo will skip the trade show, and host a variety of online sessions and content on Jan. 21.
The Minnesota State Cattlemen's Association is planning a convention minus a trade show for Dec. 3-4 at the Hutchinson Event Center, with meetings, speakers, and a banquet.
The Minnesota Milk Producers Association’s Dairy Expo will go to a virtual format during winter 2020-2021. The annual business meeting will be held virtually Dec. 2. A new virtual experience is being planned for early January. The virtual conference will include a series of webinars, free for members of Minnesota Milk and any partnering organizations, and available for a registration fee to others.
The Midwest Poultry Federation convention has rescheduled its 2021 convention from March to May 19-21 as an hybrid event, virtual and in-person at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Read more.
The Minnesota Agri-Growth Council's Ag and Food Summit will be virtual on Nov. 5 and 6.
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The MPCA Agriculture Stewardship-Land, Water, Livestock welcomes news from partners about, projects, people, and upcoming events. Email submissions to forrest.peterson@state.mn.us. Past issues are available on the feedlot program publications webpage. Sign up here to receive this and other MPCA newsletters.
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