House and senate introduce full funding for Forever Green
To get to our clean water goals in Minnesota, we need to plant more perennial and cover crops. But these crops need to be profitable before farm operations can effectively make the change.
To address this challenge, two bills were introduced in the house and senate that will fully fund the University of Minnesota’s Forever Green Initiative, one of FMR’s top priorities this legislative session.
Forever Green: good for farmers, good for water
Forever Green is a highly respected research effort designed to develop new, economically viable perennial crops and winter annual crops (cover crops) to boost our environment while providing a stable return for local farmers.
These Forever Green crops reduce runoff pollution and habitat loss from traditional annual crops (corn and soybeans) while maintaining or enhancing farm prosperity — a key goal of FMR’s water program.
The bills to watch
The legislation (Senate File 134 & House File 962) requests $10 million in state general fund support for Forever Green this biennium. This support is supplemented by an additional $3.3 million recommended by the Clean Water Council from the state’s Clean Water Fund
When fully funded, the Forever Green Initiative will make Minnesota a leader in developing more sustainable, profitable and diversified cropping systems that improve habitat, water quality, climate and soil health while boosting rural economic development.
Here's how you can stay tuned for further updates as this legislation advances in February and March:
Become a River Guardian
Sign up to become a River Guardian, and we'll email you when an important river issue arises. We make it quick and easy for you to contact decision makers. River Guardians are also invited to special events, including happy hours, about important legislative and metro river corridor issues.
Read our Legislative Updates blog
We write regular updates about key environment and water quality issues on our Legislative Updates page. Check back for news, follow us on social media (Facebook and Twitter), and sign up for our bimonthly e-newsletter, Mississippi Messages.