Farmers for Responsible & Equitable Ag Drainage
Donation protected
Farmers for Responsible and Equitable Ag Drainage (FREAD) is filling a long-standing void in local drainage projects across Minnesota that is responsible for much of the confusion, high costs and missed opportunities in many drainage projects.
How confusing are drainage projects? A former state agency conservationist summed up Minnesota drainage history by saying, "They dug a ditch, everyone got confused, and now we are in court". This level of confusion should not be accepted as a norm for any state law or local ordinance.
A three-part news release article describes how Nicollet County landowners got caught in this confusion, and are now sharing their story to prevent it from happening in other areas.
Part One - Minnesota Drainage Projects: Where Does the Confusion Begin? (Release 1/15/19)
Part Two - MN Drainage Confusion: Finding the "Missing Link" (Release 1/22/19)
Part Three - Making Drainage Connections: State Policy to Local Governance (Release 1/29/19)
FREAD was started by a dozen farmers in Nicollet County after a confusion-ridden drainage project puts their farms and their livelihoods at risk. What they learned was that their drainage project was not the only confusion-ridden project in Minnesota.
FREAD farmers did not think this should continue and so, with the knowledge the gained, they are compiling a FREAD Farmers Drainage Guide & Question Book to assist other farmers across the state to prevent their ditch projects from getting muddied. The FREAD Farmers Drainage Guidebook is not just for farmers, but landowners, government staff, conservationists, environmentalists, wildlife enthusiasts, fishers, hunters, and communities that rely on cost-effective drainage that does not impose harm and costs on others.
In addition to appeal support, FREAD Farmers will use the funds to:
- Compile information from Ditch 86A and other ditch projects in the state.
- Write a draft summary and invite landowners, farmers, conservationists, agency staff, ditch viewers, ditch engineers, ditch attorneys, ditch boards and other interested parties to comment.
- Work with an existing organizations to convene interested parties to discuss draft summary
And create a FREAD Farmers Drainage Guide & Question Book that will include:
- The basic steps laid out in state drainage policy and the questions that need to be asked at each step in a useable format.
- A suggested standardized viewers’ report format, or at least a consistent and clear method to describe one.
- A explanation of how GIS and Lidar capabilities could be included in viewers’ report to make it transparent, more objective, and fair (e.g. Precision Viewers' Report and Mapping)
- A suggested format for how drainage benefits and conservation rates can be provided in useable maps on a parcel basis.
- A customizable spreadsheet to incorporate engineer’s costs and to calculate landowners’ costs as the project progresses.
These materials will be made available online. Once the Guidebook is developed, FREAD will manage it, or find a non-profit or government organization with water and drainage interest to manage it.
Resolving this issue does not require legislators to open up and amend the state drainage law. It doesn't even require permission from state legislators, county commissioners, or other agency heads. It does require some entity to package a Drainage Guide & Question book so citizens can "ask the next good question". Solutions lie within communities, and this is an example of how that can work.
By donating, you will be providing the moral and financial support to push this issue to the level that finally moves the needle. Be part of local shared governance! It is the next thing in our democracy. Donate any amount. Be Part of the Conversation. Send Link to Others (Legislator, County Commissioner, Neighbor, Etc.) Receive Updates.
Background
A dozen farmers in Nicollet County, Minnesota near Swan Lake, the nation's largest freshwater prairie marsh, are on a mission to share their story how to change drainage confusion to drainage collaboration in their local Ditch 86A project. Drainage projects are vital to Minnesota's water and farm economy, yet drainage projects are rife with confusion and contention. This confusion prevented sensible conservation and will cause undo financial hardships for many farmers.
Farmers for Responsible and Equitable Ag Drainage Agriculture (FREAD) recognize that our farmers' livelihoods and the state water issues cannot be resolved when most drainage project participants have to throw their hands up in confusion. If 90% of farmers depend on economical drainage and 90% of the waters in our rivers and lakes originate in ag drainage systems, it seems highly improbable, if not impossible to achieve these two goals if this foundation is clouded with confusion.
How confusing are drainage projects? A former state agency conservationist summed up Minnesota drainage history by saying, "They dug a ditch, everyone got confused, and now we are in court". This level of confusion should not be accepted as a norm for any state law or local ordinance.
A three-part news release article describes how Nicollet County landowners got caught in this confusion, and are now sharing their story to prevent it from happening in other areas.
Part One - Minnesota Drainage Projects: Where Does the Confusion Begin? (Release 1/15/19)
Part Two - MN Drainage Confusion: Finding the "Missing Link" (Release 1/22/19)
Part Three - Making Drainage Connections: State Policy to Local Governance (Release 1/29/19)
FREAD was started by a dozen farmers in Nicollet County after a confusion-ridden drainage project puts their farms and their livelihoods at risk. What they learned was that their drainage project was not the only confusion-ridden project in Minnesota.
FREAD farmers did not think this should continue and so, with the knowledge the gained, they are compiling a FREAD Farmers Drainage Guide & Question Book to assist other farmers across the state to prevent their ditch projects from getting muddied. The FREAD Farmers Drainage Guidebook is not just for farmers, but landowners, government staff, conservationists, environmentalists, wildlife enthusiasts, fishers, hunters, and communities that rely on cost-effective drainage that does not impose harm and costs on others.
In addition to appeal support, FREAD Farmers will use the funds to:
- Compile information from Ditch 86A and other ditch projects in the state.
- Write a draft summary and invite landowners, farmers, conservationists, agency staff, ditch viewers, ditch engineers, ditch attorneys, ditch boards and other interested parties to comment.
- Work with an existing organizations to convene interested parties to discuss draft summary
And create a FREAD Farmers Drainage Guide & Question Book that will include:
- The basic steps laid out in state drainage policy and the questions that need to be asked at each step in a useable format.
- A suggested standardized viewers’ report format, or at least a consistent and clear method to describe one.
- A explanation of how GIS and Lidar capabilities could be included in viewers’ report to make it transparent, more objective, and fair (e.g. Precision Viewers' Report and Mapping)
- A suggested format for how drainage benefits and conservation rates can be provided in useable maps on a parcel basis.
- A customizable spreadsheet to incorporate engineer’s costs and to calculate landowners’ costs as the project progresses.
These materials will be made available online. Once the Guidebook is developed, FREAD will manage it, or find a non-profit or government organization with water and drainage interest to manage it.
Resolving this issue does not require legislators to open up and amend the state drainage law. It doesn't even require permission from state legislators, county commissioners, or other agency heads. It does require some entity to package a Drainage Guide & Question book so citizens can "ask the next good question". Solutions lie within communities, and this is an example of how that can work.
By donating, you will be providing the moral and financial support to push this issue to the level that finally moves the needle. Be part of local shared governance! It is the next thing in our democracy. Donate any amount. Be Part of the Conversation. Send Link to Others (Legislator, County Commissioner, Neighbor, Etc.) Receive Updates.
Background
A dozen farmers in Nicollet County, Minnesota near Swan Lake, the nation's largest freshwater prairie marsh, are on a mission to share their story how to change drainage confusion to drainage collaboration in their local Ditch 86A project. Drainage projects are vital to Minnesota's water and farm economy, yet drainage projects are rife with confusion and contention. This confusion prevented sensible conservation and will cause undo financial hardships for many farmers.
Farmers for Responsible and Equitable Ag Drainage Agriculture (FREAD) recognize that our farmers' livelihoods and the state water issues cannot be resolved when most drainage project participants have to throw their hands up in confusion. If 90% of farmers depend on economical drainage and 90% of the waters in our rivers and lakes originate in ag drainage systems, it seems highly improbable, if not impossible to achieve these two goals if this foundation is clouded with confusion.
Organizer
Tim Gieseke
Organizer
New Ulm, MN
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