Several Minnesota state legislative committees are hearing debate this week on the Governor’s Buffer Zone Initiative. The Land Stewardship Project backs the measure while the state Farm Bureau, Farmers Union, Corn Growers and Cattlemen’s Association all oppose the mandate in the bill. Cattlemen’s Executive Director Ashley Kohls says while buffer strips are important, they don’t like the mandate language in the legislation.
Kohls says trying to make one Buffer Strip plan cover all areas of the state really isn’t workable. She says her group also doesn’t like the enforcement provision in the Governor’s legislation.
Kohls says while buffer strips can be a useful tool in improving water quality it isn’t the only way to address that issue.
