The Minnesota Ag Water Quality Certification Program is designed to accelerate voluntary adoption of agricultural practices that enhance water quality. It is the product of a state-federal partnership that includes the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR), the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

The first step of the program was a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed on January 17, 2012, by Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. The MOU document formalized the state-federal partnership and confirms the joint commitment to developing and implementing the program.

An advisory committee was formed in July 2012 and met on a monthly basis until November 2012. This committee is made up of 15 members and includes farmers and representatives from agricultural, business, and conservation organizations.

This committee completed a series of meetings and delivered recommendations to the MDA Commissioner in November 2012. The committee submitted a series of recommendations presented in seven position papers. The Commissioner will use the recommendations in making final determinations about the program details and implementation process. The advisory committee will continue to serve at key steps of the process to review draft components.

For details about the committee and the program, including the recommendations of this committee, please visit the Ag Water Quality Certification Program webpage on the MDA's website.

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