Groundwater Rule Granted Preliminary Approval

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) recently received the Report on the Groundwater Protection Rule from the Administrative Law Judge that grants approval to the main provisions of the proposed Groundwater Protection Rule.

This new rule was created with an intended goal of minimizing the affects of nitrate pollution to the state’s groundwater and protect drinking water, and has been working its way through a review, comment and rebuttal process. In all there was 3,000 comments submitted during a period from April 30 to August 22, 2018.

Thanks to the advocacy efforts of various agriculture & farming organizations, the ALJ amended the law in a few key areas:

• The definition of “nitrogen fertilizer” will no longer include manure if chemicals are added to the manure to minimize odor, prevent foaming, reduce gas emissions or extend the time that the nitrogen remains in the soil

• The rule will now require MDA to apply exceptions to the rule in areas that do not currently contaminate public drinking water with nitrates or where contamination is caused by a point source

• The rule will be amended to further clarify procedural requirements for hearing challenging MDA-issued mitigation levels and orders

Gill Agricultural Consulting will continue to monitor the action surrounding the Groundwater Protection Rule, and provide timely updates as they occur. Please direct any questions to Sam Gill, Director of Business Development & Public affairs, at sam@gillagconsulting.com.

xxx

Gill Agricultural Consulting, Inc. is a Minnesota-based crop consulting firm that focuses on providing timely, precise and unbiased recommendations to help clients maximize yields while minimizing costs. Celebrating a 30-plus year history of proven results and helping local growers succeed, Gill Ag Consulting remains on the cutting edge of agronomy, soil science and crop production techniques.