Duane and Alan Peterson of Peterson & Peterson Farms in Becker Twp. were recently certified through the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP). 

 

This voluntary program works with farmers and landowners to identify and fix risks to water quality on a field-by-field, whole farm basis. Farmers who treat all risks to water quality on their operation are certified and deemed to be in compliance with new water quality rules and laws for 10 years.

 

Certification is a three step process; application, assessment, and verification. The SWCD assists the farmer with the application and assessment, a licensed certifier completes the verification, and the farm is then eligible for certification. 

 

This program helps to protect and improve the water quality in Sherburne County, provides regulatory certainty for the life of the certification, recognizes the conservation efforts being done by the farmer, and provides priority access to USDA/NRCS financial and technical assistance.

 

This is the fourth farm that has been certified in Sherburne County. 

 

The Peterson’s operate a 280-acre cash grain and beef farm in Becker Township. Duane and Alan are conservation minded producers and MAWQCP commends them for their conservation efforts.

 

Through this program, certified farms receive regulatory certainty and are deemed to be in compliance with any new water quality rules or laws during the period of their certification. The farms also receive the recognition and may use their status to promote their business as protective of water quality. Also, they are a priority for technical and financial assistance to implement practices that promote water quality.

 

The public receives assurance that certified producers are using conservation practices to protect Minnesota’s lakes, rivers and streams.