ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program Advisory Committee will hold its first meeting on 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 the public. Dave Frederickson, Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner, and Dave White, U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief, and other participants will be in attendance.
The Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program is the result of an agreement signed on Jan. 17 by Gov. 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 where the advisory committee will give Frederickson input 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 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: www.mda.state.mn.us/en/protecting/waterprotection/awqcprogram.aspx .
