Governor Mark Dayton says he’s directed the state Agriculture Department to proceed with a ban on fall application of fertilizer to farm fields in some parts of Minnesota — even as Republicans say a little-known state law allows them to postpone that restriction. “That’s a vast intrusion into the prerogatives of the executive branch,” says the governor, who argues the objective is to protect Minnesota’s drinking water. Republicans respond data are not conclusive and the issue needs more study.
There’s speculation the dispute could end up in court.