This path was created by Maria Frank.
Agricultural practices are used to protect regional water quality...
...via soil conservation and nutrient management.
This statement was based on passages from "Local Food: Where to Find It, How to Buy It"...
Buying locally grown food is an investment in the economic and social well-being of your community... [You are] helping the local economy by circulating dollars locally, creating a multiplier effect as farmers spend those dollars at local businesses. When you buy locally grown food, you have the opportunity to vote with your dollars for the kind of farming you want to support. Your food-buying choices can encourage farmers to use methods that are important to you, be they crop rotations to reduce pesticide use and soil erosion, the humane treatment of farm animals, even the setting aside of some acreage for pollinator or wildlife habitat. (p.2)...and "Opportunities for Leadership, Learning, and Impact."
Mainstream agriculture degrades water quality by depleting and polluting groundwater, encourages flooding by eliminating wetlands, destroys wildlife habitats, emits greenhouse gases, and degrades air quality with pesticides and particulates. In addition, as farms become controlled by large, out-of-area corporations, fewer local people and rural communities benefit economically. Sustainable agriculture, including biomass production, reduces runoff, creates wildlife habitat, prevents soil erosion through farmland trees, and offsets greenhouse gases. (p.4)It is also reflected in statements from the Minnesota Corn Grower's Association (on a previous version of their webpage)...
With a GPS, "farmers are able to evaluate their acreage right down to the square foot. This allows them to pinpoint areas where fertilizers and other inputs need to be applied... By applying only what is necessary, farmers can keep run-off to a minimum... Instead of wheels, some new tractors have treads much like a snowmobile track. This distributes the vehicle's weight over a greater area, so the soil doesn't compact as much. Less compacted soil can absorb more water, thereby reducing runoff."...and the Southeast Minnesota AG Alliance (on a previous version of their webpage).
Our organization promotes production agriculture as a vital and necessary enterprise to the financial and ecological welfare in Southeast Minnesota... Many of our members attend their local zoning and planning boards and talk with county commissioners to make sure that the people making the laws have an accurate view of today's environmentally friendly farming practices.
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