Take action to ensure public investment in developing cover crops

 Take action to ensure public investment in developing cover crops and perennial crops needed to protect our water and for stewardship of the land

Forever Green Initiative at the University of Minnesota needs ongoing funding

A recent Minnesota Pollution Control Agency report found high amounts of nitrates in much of Minnesota’s waters and that 73% of nitrates were from cropland. The report concludes: “Cover crops and strategic establishment of perennial energy crops can greatly reduce N losses to waters, but need further development in Minnesota to make these practices more successful and adopted on more lands.” The University of Minnesota has been doing this research and outreach as part of the Forever Green Initiative.  Forever Green focuses developing cover crops and perennial crops that will work in Minnesota's climate and also creating markets for these crops. However, this work does not have a source of ongoing funding which is critical to its success. (More details below.)

Rep. David Bly and Sen. Kevin Dahle have introduced legislation to do just that. In the House the issue is at a critical juncture.  Appropriations are often rolled into larger omnibus bills. The House is finishing up its Environment and Agriculture Omnibus Finance Bill by Wednesday night.  However, right now funding for Forever Green is not a part of the bill. We need it included.

Take Action!

1. Contact these legislative leaders in the House by Wednesday at 5:00 p.m.

• Rep. Jean Wagenius, Chair of the Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Finance Committee 651-296-4200 or rep.jean.wagenius@house.mn
• Rep. Paul Thissen, Speaker of the House at 651-296-5375 or rep.paul.thissen@house.mn

Suggested message: “We must have more crop diversity on the landscape to clean up our water and for better stewardship of the land.  This means research into cover crops and perennial crops that will work in Minnesota’s climate and are profitable for farmers to grow. The University of Minnesota has made a good start with its Forever Green Initiative.  However, this program needs ongoing funding to be successful. Please, ensure that the Forever Green initiative receives $800,000 a year in ongoing funding as part of the House Omnibus Environment and Agriculture Funding bill. This would be a good start in making the critical public investment necessary for better stewardship of the land and to clean up our water.”

2.  Contact your Representative. Let them know that you would like them to weigh in with support of this effort with Rep. Thissen and Rep. Wagenius. Use the message above. You can find your Representatives name and contact information HERE.

It's not too late to RSVP for  the Land Stewardship Project’s Family Farm Breakfast & Day at the Capitol on Tuesday, April 8. The event is at Christ Lutheran Church across from the Capitol in St. Paul. Breakfast from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., with lobbying at the Capitol afterwards Cost  is $10 (pay at the door).Get full details and RSVP online HERE.

More details on  legislation to fund the Forever Green Initiative at the University of Minnesota. 

The legislation provides $1.395 million to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture to be granted to the University of Minnesota for the Forever Green Initiative.

• House File 2619 authored by Reps. Bly; Hansen; Johnson, C; Ward, J.A; Fisher; Falk; Faust; McNamar
• Senate File 2304 authored by Sens. Dahle; Tomassoni; Hoffman; Scalze

The Forever Green initiative at the University of Minnesota is about the critical research and outreach needed to dramatically increase the use of cover crops and perennial systems, including pasture, that is profitable to farmers, creates economic opportunity in rural Minnesota and improves water quality and natural habitat for wildlife.

Minnesota has 27 million acres of farmland, occupying nearly half the 55.6 million acres in the state. Most of our current crops are ‘summer-annuals’ that are grown during the summer. By selectively adding winter-annual, perennial crops and managed pastures to our agricultural landscapes, we can enhance the prosperity of Minnesota agriculture, support rural communities, and provide major benefits to all Minnesotans. These production systems will enhance yields of our summer-annual crops, enable production of new commodities, enhance our soils and wildlife, and improve our water resources. All of these benefits are possible because perennial and winter-annual crops are active during a large portion of each year, including many periods in fall, winter and spring when summer crops are absent.

These production systems, combining summer-annual, winter-annual and perennial crops, use our precious resources of land, water and nutrients more efficiently than our current systems. To realize the great potential of these systems, two kinds of research and development are critically needed: genetic improvement of plant materials, and development of new economic opportunities based on these systems. The University of Minnesota has significant strengths and ongoing efforts in both areas, providing the foundation for this initiative. 

Perennial and winter-annual crops—working in tandem with summer annuals—can capture solar energy, water and nutrients with very high efficiency. Specifically, these production systems can:

• Diversify economic opportunities for Minnesota’s farmers, through the production of new sources of food, feed, and high-value biomaterials, without interfering with current annual production systems;
• Improve the condition of vital resources including water, land and biodiversity
• Enable abundant production despite climate variability and new pest and disease pressures
• Enhance rural committees by creating new industries based on renewable agriculture resources- and employment opportunities; and
• Attract high quality talent to the University of Minnesota to meet the future workforce needs of the agriculture, food, energy and natural resource based industries in Minnesota.