In an effort to protect drinking water from nitrate pollution, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) proposed nitrogen fertilizer rule would, for the first time ever, regulate how farmers can use nitrogen fertilizer. Earlier versions of the rule were criticized by farming organizations, and last weekend Minnesota legislators voted to block implementation of the rule until next year.
 
MDA’s scaled-back rule
 
 The proposed rule would ban farmers from applying nitrogen fertilizer in the fall, and it would require farmers near cities with elevated nitrate levels in public drinking wells to follow the University of Minnesota Extension’s (U of M) recommended nitrogen application rates. Earlier versions of the rule were criticized by numerous farm organizations as too far-reaching. In the final draft released in late April, the MDA made two big changes to make it more palatable.
 
 First, an earlier version of the rule would have applied to all townships where private wells have high nitrate levels, which would include most of Winona County. The new version only applies to the public drinking water supply management areas (DWSMAs) that surround municipal wells and other public water supplies with high nitrate levels. In Winona County, that includes rural land south of Utica, and a smaller area of land within Altura city limits.
 
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