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The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

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Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina s congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Myorkas.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

The Minnesota Battle over Buffer Strips

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Friday, March 27, 2015   

ST. PAUL, Minn. - In the Land of 10,000 Lakes, where water quality is key to quality of life, supporters of the buffer-strip proposal from Gov. Mark Dayton say it would have a positive impact for generations to come.

The legislation would require farms to have 50 feet of perennial vegetation around Minnesota's lakes, rivers and streams. These buffers would help filter out phosphorus, nitrogen and sediment by slowing runoff, said Darrel Mosel, a farmer in Sibley County and member of the Land Stewardship Project.

"We've had these large rain events and we've had a lot of washouts along the edges of drainage ditches," he said. "Of course, all that dirt is going into our lakes and our streams and eventually in our rivers, so I think it's a good first step to try to figure out how to alleviate that problem."

Minnesota's current drainage law requires a 16 1/2-foot buffer around perennial waters. Those opposed to the bill say extending that to 50 feet would take thousands of good acres out of production. However, Mosel said those buffer strips could still be productive in many cases, with their use for grazing or growing hay.

"As I look at this initiative, we're allowed to either plant alfalfa or a mixed grass, and we could hay or graze that," he said. "On the other hand, I think there are going to be a lot of areas where farmers are probably going to want to leave it in a permanent grass. It should be a plus for water quality and definitely for habitat."

At the state Capitol, the proposal has been heard in committee and set aside for possible inclusion in an omnibus bill when it's crafted following the upcoming Easter-Passover break.

Details of the proposal are online at dnr.state.mn.us.


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