Stinky reception for manure rules in Minnesota farm country

CHATFIELD, Minn. – Nearly 100 farmers, water advocates and landowners packed into the top floor of an arts center Wednesday evening in this Driftless region town to hear a presentation and pose questions to state regulators over updates to rules for feedlots.

The proposed changes for permits covering over 1,000 feedlots across Minnesota would require operators to track down more documentation from farmers who buy manure to apply to their fields. Beginning in 2025, the permits would also greatly ramp up requirements — from planting cover crops to inspecting fields during application — for farmers applying manure during late fall and early winter months.

Changes are meant to protect groundwater from nitrate pollution, with some 70% of the state waterways’ nitrate contaminants linked to farm practices, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). But the new plan received lukewarm feedback from a number of attendees who railed against what they considered unfair regulations that penalize the biggest permit-holders and allow smaller farms and landowners to go unchecked.

“How do you determine that the nitrates in the water came from a 2,000-head dairy farm or a 50-cow [dairy] down below [the ridge]?” asked one farmer, who told the state officials he would not provide his name to any public comment. “Because the way this looks, we’ve got a lot of rules [coming] ... and everyone else has nothing.”

The updates to requirements on manure application for farmers comes against the backdrop of increased scrutiny — including from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — of farm runoff polluting streams and drinking water.

Under the changes, Minnesota’s permit-holders, which represent just a fraction of the overall number of registered feedlots across the state, could still sell manure to be applied as spring fertilizer.

In most other instances, however, during fall and winter months in sensitive groundwater areas, including the karst region in southeastern Minnesota, farmers would need to plant perennial or cover crops, which can trap nutrients in the soil, preventing runoff.

George Schwint, with the MPCA, started the Wednesday meeting by attempting to allay concerns the state was interested in a blame-game against feedlot permit-holders.

“Nitrate is nitrate, regardless of the source,” Schwint said.

Still, the state can only mandate changes to permitted facilities, not farms with fewer than 1,000 animal units that generally fall under the thresholds requiring a state permit.

The Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy has estimated a third of nitrate pollution in the state’s waters can be linked to concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs. Still, many farmers say the current plan unfairly leaves farms — and other producers of nitrates — off the hook for producing the remaining two-thirds of contaminants.

The public comment period on the proposed rules has been extended until early September. Wednesday’s meeting was the third, after stops in Fairmont and Paynesville. After the meeting, chat lingered in the hallways of the former school.

“It was eye-opening,” said Patrick Byron, who lives in neighboring Winona County. Byron said he is concerned with the state’s ability to crack down on water pollution. “I’m ready to go see the next horizon, but I have grandkids ... and I’m trying to look out for their future, as well.”