Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton has set his sights on improving water quality in the state during his administration. In fact this week the Governor stated it would be a priority even if it made him an enemy of those in agriculture. Minnesota Commissioner of Agriculture Dave Frederickson is defending those comments and says they’re just getting in line with initiatives in surrounding states.

Part of the Governor’s water quality efforts already surfaced with his recent buffer strip proposal. After much debate the legislature voted to enforce the current 16.5-foot state rule. Frederickson says farmers should not lose many acres of production under this scheme.

The Governor had originally proposed a 50-foot buffer, but they ended up with the compromise bill that was supported by all the state’s farm groups.