Storage of flood water on farmland is another example of the
multi-functional potential of farmland. About a year and a half ago the
Blue Earth River Basin Initiative in Southern Minnesota and the Institute
for Agriculture and Trade Policy facilitated a policy discussion on
on-farm water storage with mostly farmers and agricultural consultants.
We found that overloaded drainage systems are an important scenario to
target. In southern Minnesota many of the drainage systems are over 50
years old, and with more tiling capturing more water, some systems are
beyond their limit. In the Rice Lake Watershed in Fairbault County, a
water storage/drainage system has been proposed to reroute water away from
the overloaded drainage system. I do not know the current status of that
proposal.
On-farm flood water storage is another example of a large-scale
environmental problem--like climate change and nutrient management--that
can be partially mitigated with better soil quality, reduced tillage, cover
crops, and other sustainable practices.
Mark
Mark Muller
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
2105 First Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404
phone: (612) 870-3420
fax: (612) 870-4846
email: mmuller@iatp.org
website: http://www.iatp.org/
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