Re: Americal farmers freedom

Posted by paul on December 24, 2001 at 16:24:23 from (209.32.248.46):

In Reply to: Americal farmers freedom posted by John D on December 22, 2001 at 12:23:04:

Interesting reading.

You should know, of course, that Minnesota has had _very_ aggressive laws protecting wetlands in the state. The federal regulations on farmland are also rather severe, and are tied to getting government payments or ag subsidies.

Anyhow, since the late '80s it has been difficult to tile any land that has not been actively farmed for some time. Since the '90s Minnesota has had laws stating _NO_ net loss of wetlands. Even for the state to expand a highway right of way 10 feet on each side to upgrade a road requires that the state create an equal amount of wetlands somewhere else nearby.

For an individual farmer, it is impossible to convert wetlands into farm ground. The fines are something awful! The DNR doesn't need a court order to search for this - your farmland is open to them.

Maybe in other states you have these problems. But in Minnesota, any wetlands damage by farmers was done BEFORE 1986. Draining of actual wetlands has been totally shut off since then in this state. Wish the article had pointed that out.

About 5 miles from me is a farmer who had to sell his livestock. The DNR decided a mudhole should be a pond, so they dammed up the outlet & increased the size of the mud hole about 7 times. Water was standing in the guy's cattle yard, and they claimed he was a pollution hazzard & shut him down. In fact, this action was done so fast that a county road going through the mudhole was flooded over, they had to dump rock & fill on the old road surface and build it up, resurface it. It is very narrow, as they couldn't make the roadbed any wider - loss of wetlands, you know.

Of course, once a city annexes farm property, then it can be tiled & formed with a bulldozer & drained & sodded. Seems there are few wetlands issues within city limits.

Here in rural Minnesota, you can get a fine if you mow over cattails while cutting hay for your livestock on your land. You eill AT LEAST get a letter in the mail threatening you not to ever do it again.

Wetlands here in MN need evidence of water within 6" of the surface (not even open water!) at some point of the year; evidence of aquatic plants within 2.5 miles of the propery in question (with all the potholes in this area, there is _no_ place that doesn't have some type of aquatic plant withing 2.5 miles....). You see, _any_ land can qualify as wetlands, just wait for a 4" rainfall and presto, it qualifies!

So, this article really does nothing for me. Just shows again the power of the DNR. In my state they can enter your house & look in the freezer for excess wild game _without_ a court order. The DNR is THEE most powerful form of government in Minnesota. It shows. And yes I'm kinda bitter about that. Articles like this seem to take the DNR side of things...

Now, I sure don't like poachers, and can't remember the last time I went hunting. And I really, really don't want any more ponds or swamps drained for farmland - crop prices are too low already, we don't need more farm land. :) I do hope we keep habitat for wildlife and other uses.

It is the unequal hand of the government that gets me riled up.

--->Paul

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• Re: Re: Americal farmers freedom oldjohndeere 10:00:53 12/25/01 (0)

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