Do you farm or own cropland in the Hastings Drinking Water Supply Management Area (DWSMA)?

The City of Hastings has high nitrate in their city wells. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is working with a team of local farmers, crop advisers, and others to develop a list of region-specific farming practices to reduce nitrate in groundwater and the city wells.

Join us to learn and share ideas about the proposed practices and the Groundwater Protection Rule process. Practice adoption is voluntary but could become regulatory if the voluntary approach is unsuccessful.

MDA staff will be available to discuss these topics, collect comments and ideas from farmers, and answer questions. A 30-minute presentation will be shared at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.

Plan to participate in person to learn more about the ways that agricultural and urban partners are working together to prepare for extreme weather events and improve water quality around Minnesota. This fourth annual event will focus on extreme weather resiliency, with keynote speaker, Heidi Roop, Ph.D., director, Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership at the University of Minnesota.

Who should attend?

Agricultural, government, local, and urban partners looking for ideas on how to develop and strengthen their relationships while improving the water quality of Minnesota lakes and streams are encouraged to attend.

Online registration is open. Registrations are requested before Feb. 21, 2023, to help finalize preparations for the event.

The Introduction to Clean Water class focuses on general water quality practices of raingardens, native gardens, and shoreline stabilization.

Dakota County Soil and Water Conservation District staff will provide an overview of Minnesota’s watersheds and our local water quality challenges, providing beautiful and practical ways to improve pollinator habitat and reduce runoff pollutants from your yard that might be contributing to water quality issues.

The Intro to Clean Water class is FREE, and registration is open to everyone – Dakota County residency not required. You only need to attend or view the Intro to Clean Water class one time – no need to repeat in future years if you want to enroll in the Design Course!