ST. PAUL, Minn. - Minnesota farmers remain divided over the new state buffer law, which will start being implemented as the harvest ends.
Minnesota Public Radio News reports that the buffer law requires permanent vegetation strips to protect lakes and streams from farm field runoff. The deadline for fully implementing the law is November 2017.
The Soil and Water Conservation District are using aerial photos to identify about 1,100 parcels of land that are out of compliance with the new law. Owners of that land also received letters saying where they need to add buffers.
Farmers are divided because buffers cause them to lose acres of land. While some are OK with protecting the water, others are just not convinced their lake is polluted in the first place, and want more testing done.
