Governor Dayton today announced a new public-private partnership between the state and Land O’ Lakes to improve water quality in Minnesota.The partnership is an expansion of a 2014 state program that allows farmers and landowners to voluntarily establish conservation practices that protect the state’s water resources. Since the program began, more than 150 farms have been certified, covering more than 83-thousand acres. With this new partnership, more farmers will be able to participate in the program, which already keeps six-and-a-half million pounds of sediment out of state rivers and saves nearly nine million pounds of soil each year. Governor Dayton says water quality in Minnesota is one of his top priorities of his and he’s calling for a “Year of Safe Water Action” this summer in addition to proposing $220 million in spending on water quality issues.