Minnesota Milk Producers Association commissioned a report on Environmental Regulations to gain a better understanding of the experiences and perspectives dairy farmers have toward environmental regulations in Minnesota. Findings from this report will be utilized by Minnesota Milk as they prepare comments on Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s (MPCA) newly released amendments to state rules regulating animal feedlots.
“This report confirms that there’s inconsistency from regulators leading to an environment of uncertainty amongst dairy farmers,” stated Pat Lunemann, President of Minnesota Milk and dairy farmer from Clarissa, MN. “MPCA has an opportunity to make the implementation and facilitation of the new rules logical and consistent by working with dairy farmers to understand our operations and how we are good stewards of the land.”
In addition to providing comments to MPCA on their rule revisions, Minnesota Milk will also look at working with MPCA to implement some of the action items that stemmed from this report, including implementation of a training program specifically for agency staff members with whom dairy farmers interact, expanding basic and dairy-specific agricultural educational outreach to legislators and other rule makers, and create an emergency response tool kit for dairy farmers.
The report was facilitated and developed by Minnesota Agricultural Water Resource Center (MAWRC). The entire report, “Environmental Regulations: A Review of Milk Producer Experiences and Perspectives in Minnesota” can be viewed at www.mnmilk.org.