Governor Mark Dayton again told Republican lawmakers today, don’t try to make any changes to the state’s new buffer law that’s designed to limit runoff from farm fields into rivers and lakes. Dayton says last legislative session he made “every accommodation possible,” people agreed to it and now some are complaining again. The governor says, “I will not negotiate a buffer bill for this session. I’m not gonna… agree to any changes.”
The Minnesota Farmers Union says new buffer regulations came up at almost every listening session of 14 they held across the state. When asked if the implementation timeline is too tight for some farmers and perhaps should be eased, Farmers Union President Gary Wertish said, “We’re getting into almost the first of May here now, and that might be an issue…. That is an issue we’re working on.”