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Agriculture

Focus on more dairy farmers, not just more dairy cows

Dave Minar runs Cedar Summit Farm near New Prague and is a member of the Land Stewardship Project. Here are his thoughts about how to strengthen the dairy industry in Minnesota.

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Pesticide legislation defeated

Minnesota lawmakers have voted down proposed changes in state pesticide laws. The legislation would have expanded monitoring for pesticides in groundwater and would have made pesticide data public. It also would have increased fees paid by chemical companies who do business in the state. The legislation failed to pass House and Senate Agriculture committees Wednesday.

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The paper trail

Several memos clearly outline the limitations that the state Agriculture Department faces in testing and monitoring for a variety of pesticides and other agricultural chemicals.

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Law prohibits human exposure

Minnesota state law specifically prohibits human exposure to pesticides during application.

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'Same old, same old' attitude at Ag Department?

The Department of Agriculture says it is doing a good job of protecting people from pesticides. Environmental Response and Enforcement Manager Paul Liemandt says the records show a pattern of aggressive enforcement.

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Undue corporate influence?

Cheryl Bergian contends human exposure is routinely overlooked by the Ag Department. Bergian worked as a legal services attorney for nine years. She handled numerous cases of alleged pesticide exposure to farm workers. She says in nine years, the Ag Department never substantiated a case of human exposure she brought to them.

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The Lopez family's story

One case of pesticide exposure involves Griselda Lopez and four other migrant workers.

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Pesticide records are protected

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is the only state agency with authority to investigate pesticide misuse. Only the Ag Department has access to pesticide records. Say you want to find out what chemical was sprayed yesterday on a field or the golf course across the road. State law says that information is protected.

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Complaints filed with the state Agriculture Department

A summary of complaints filed with the state Department of Agriculture, alleging human exposure to pesticides, finds that in 75 percent of those cases, there is no penalty assessed against the responsible party.

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Ag Department resists changes in laws

Rep. Jean Wagenius is not the only legislator who's tried and failed to change pesticide law. State Rep. Mary Ellen Otremba, a DFLer, owns a farm near Long Prairie. Last year she proposed opening pesticide records for public inspection. Otremba says the Ag Department and the agribusiness lobby moved swiftly to kill the proposal.

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