balmm currents
Basin Alliance for the Lower Mississippi in Minnesota
July 17, 2001



BALMM SUGGESTS FARM BILL PILOT:

At the July 12 meeting of the Minnesota-Wisconsin Boundary Area Commission held in Alma, Wisconsin, the
BALMM coordinator and editor of BALMM currents proposed a pilot project for the 2002 Farm Bill, now under discussion. By treating hay as a "program
crop" along with corn and soybeans within the project area, the pilot project would attempt to counteract incentives in the federal farm bill favoring row-crop production at the expense of hay and pasture in erosion-prone areas of southeast Minnesota, southwest Wisconsin and Northeast Iowa. Aides for Senators and Congressmen from both states were present, along with commissioners and citizens.

The BALMM presentation began by citing basinwide goals for reduced soil erosion and achieving water quality standards for suspended sediment in streams. BALMM is pursuing two basic strategies to achieve these goals. One strategy is to increase the use of conservation practices, such as conservation tillage, on row-crop land. The second is to try to reverse the long-term trend toward increased acreage of soybeans, which is prone to severe soil erosion, at the cost of hay and pasture, which are generally more conserving land uses. Over the past 25 years, the percent of cropland in corn and soybean production increased from 64% to 80% in nine SE Minnesota counties, while hay and small grain acreage declined 36% to 20% of cropland acreage. Meanwhile acreage in pasture declined by more than 22%.

With dairy cattle numbers projected to decrease by 32% in Minnesota and by 22% in Wisconsin over the next decade, according to the Food and Agriculture Policy Research Institute, pressures for continued land use shifts are likely to continue. In the face of this trend, an important but very challenging BALMM land use objective is to restore the area in pasture and noncultivated cropland (mainly permanent hay) to 1982 levels (630,000 acres) from current estimates (448,000acres).-an increase of approximately 200,000 acres. The landscape buffer initiative and rotational grazing are two strategies being pursued to achieve this objective. But farmers and others often argue that, without addressing the basic incentives for row crop production built into the farm bill, the shift from hay and pasture to row crops - especially soybeans - will continue.

Treating hay as a program crop eligible for farm program payments is one approach to addressing the current farm program biases. Since the same landuses and trends exist in the karst or driftless regions of Iowa and Wisconsin, BALMM is suggesting a 3-state pilot. Another approach, also supported by BALMM, is to offer incentive payments for grazing land management along with other best management practices, through the proposed "Conservation Security Act" or the recently introduced "Working Lands Stewardship Act of 2001."

These and other ways of addressing land use shifts will be discussed at the July 18 BALMM meeting, 9-12, at Rochester MPCA offices.

MINNESOTA FULLY FUNDS CREP FOR MINNESOTA RIVER:

With a vote of 115 to 17 in the Minnesota House of Representatives and 57 to 0 in the Senate, the state's bonding bill was passed early Saturday, June 30, paving the way for the state to move ahead with the final implementation of the Minnesota River Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program.

The bonding bill contained an appropriation of $51.4 million earmarked for CREP. That is the amount needed for the state to fully match the $163 million in federal money available for the program. Gov. Ventura signed the bill Saturday, June 30.

CREP is a combined state and federal program that pays landowners in the Minnesota River basin to take marginal cropland out of production as a way to improve water quality and wildlife habitat. With the full funding, the target goal of enrolling 100,000 acres can now be reached and the critical match will be secured.

"We're thrilled to see the final passage of the bonding bill and thank the Legislature and the Governor for their commitment to the program," said Ron Harnack, executive director of the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources. "This is the single most important initiative we have to clean up the Minnesota River and reclaim its heritage. This funding will mean that the Minnesota River basin will be significantly enhanced and revitalized."

The initiative was supported by a broad-based coalition of 100 state and local conservation groups, environmental organizations, and local units of government from the Minnesota River basin. "This is indeed a historic accomplishment," said Judy Erickson, CREP Coalition coordinator. "The funding was the last piece of the work needed to move ahead with final implementation. We're relieved and thankful that the Legislature came through."

As of mid-June, 42,237 acres are enrolled in the program, according to figures from the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources. An additional 23,893 acres are in process or pending approval at Soil and Water Conservation District offices.

CREP is administered at the state level by the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources. Soil and Water Conservation Districts in the basin administer the program locally. Federal partners are the USDA Farm Service Agency and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Landowners interested in more information about CREP should contact their local SWCD office.

The federal government's offer to provide matching funding ends in September 2002.

CORPS LOWERS POOL 8 TO TEST ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS:

The St. Paul District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has lowered the level of the Mississippi River in Pool 8 south of La Crosse, Wis., by 1.5 feet to test the environmental benefits of a pool drawdown.

Pool 8 reached the target elevation of 628.5 feet at Lock and Dam 8 on Sunday, July 8, 2001. Pool 8 is the reservoir formed upriver of Lock and Dam 8 at Genoa, Wis., and ending at La Crescent, Minn., the location of Lock and Dam 7.

The pool is 1.5 feet below the normal low operating elevation of 630.0. The district began to lower the level of pool on June 19 in a pilot project to improve conditions for growth of aquatic plants.

The goal is to hold the pool level at the Lock and Dam 8 at 628.5 feet until mid-September. At that time the pool will be allowed to refill and pool elevation is scheduled to return to 630.0 feet by the end of September.

Unseasonably high river flows slowed the drawdown. River levels began to recede on June 30, allowing a meaningful drawdown to begin. The high river discharges mean that the drawdown is not yet evident in the upper reaches of the pool. The drawdown will not become evident in the La Crosse area until river discharges at Lock and Dam 8 fall below 35,000 cfs (cubic feet per second). The river discharge at Lock and Dam recently was about 55,000 cfs. The locks
and dams are part of the nine-foot channel project, which stores water in reservoirs or pools. The pools provide a reliable channel for navigation.

Related information may be found on the following page: http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/enviro_protection/river_water_study/

MILLIONS OF ACRES OF WETLANDS NEEDED TO SAVE GULF OF MEXICO:

Saving the Gulf of Mexico from polluted runoff is possible, but it means creating or restoring at least 5 to 13 million acres of wetlands in the Midwest and the lower Mississippi River basin, according to a new report by environmental researchers. Led by William Mitsch, a professor of natural resources and environmental science at Ohio State University, the scientists also recommend creating or restoring 19 to 48 million acres of streamside forest areas. Together, that's at least enough created and restored wetland and forested area to fill all of West Virginia. The report appears in the May issue of the journal Bioscience. For additional information visit http://www.osu.edu/researchnews/archive/moreacre.htm.


PHYTASE FIGHTING PHOSPHORUS IN IOWA by Kristin Danley-Greiner (AgWeb):
Heartland Pork Enterprises, Inc. of Alden, Iowa, has announced a new "phytase" water quality initiative that will reduce their phosphorus discharges more than 25 percent in the upcoming year. Phytase, a feed supplement for livestock, is an enzyme that will break down the phytic acid complex. Phytic acid is the primary natural chemical form of phosphorus in both corn and soybean meal. The presence of phytase will allow animals to absorb the phosphorus naturally, thus allowing a dramatic decrease of phosphorus in manure, the company stated. "The implementation of Phytase will dramatically decrease the amount of phosphorus in manure," noted Keith Hayden, Heartland's Director of Natural Programs. Phosphorus is one ingredient that adds to the odor manure emits.


ABOUT BALMM:

A locally led alliance of land and water resource agencies has formed in order to coordinate efforts to protect and improve water quality in the Lower Mississippi River Basin. The Basin Alliance for the Lower Mississippi in Minnesota (BALMM) covers both the Lower Mississippi and Cedar River Basins, and includes a wide range of local, state and federal resource agencies. Those involved in forming the alliance include Soil and Water Conservation District managers, county water planners and regional staff of the Board of Soil and Water Resources, Pollution Control Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota-Wisconsin Boundary Area Commission, the Southeastern Minnesota Water Resources Board, the Cannon River Watershed Partnership, and others. BALMM meetings are open to all interested individuals and organizations. See "Coming Events" for details.