Groundwater Protection Rule Public Comment

The public comment period for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's proposed Groundwater Protection Rule is now open and will remain open until July 26, 2018. "In an effort to ensure all stakeholders have the opportunity to have their voices heard, we have extended the traditional 30-day public comment period by 50 days and will hold an 80-day public comment period," said Commissioner of Agriculture Dave Frederickson. Most farmers call the Groundwater Protection Rule "nitrogen regulations."

The objective of the Groundwater Protection Rule is to try and reduce nitrate levels in groundwater. That is the goal of every farmer that pays for nitrogen too. We want to do everything we can to make sure that nitrogen is still in the soil profile when our corn crop needs it! In fact most farmers are already going beyond the regulations proposed in the Groundwater Protection Rule. It is the right thing to do environmentally and also the right thing economically. We cannot afford to pay for nitrogen, lose it and then pay for it again!