Ag Water Quality Advisory Committee to hold first meeting on July 9

The Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program Advisory Committee will hold its first meeting on Monday, July 9, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the fifth floor conference room of the Veterans Service Building, located at 20 West 12th Street in St. Paul.

The committee meeting is open to members of the media and the public. Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson, U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Dave White, and other participants will be available for media interviews immediately prior to the meeting.

The Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program is the result of an agreement signed on January 17 by Governor Mark Dayton and federal officials, with the goal of enhancing Minnesota’s water quality by accelerating adoption of on-farm water quality practices. The July 9 meeting is the first in a series of half-day meetings at which the advisory committee will provide input to Commissioner Frederickson on the development and implementation of the program. Future meetings will be held approximately twice a month through October 2012.

The advisory committee, whose membership was announced by Commissioner Frederickson on May 31, consists of 15 members representing specific stakeholder groups. Representatives of state and federal agencies, the University of Minnesota Extension Service, and other technical experts will be invited to attend meetings to provide technical support to the committee members.

More information, including future meeting dates and background on the certification program can be found on MDA’s website at http://www.mda.state.mn.us/en/protecting/waterprotection/awqcprogram.aspx.

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