Discovery Farm Minnesota partners work together to plan, implement, evaluate and provide oversight of the program. Cooperation between government agencies, commodity groups and farmers has been key to the past and future success of Discovery Farms Minnesota.

Minnesota Agricultural Water Resource Center

MAWRC is a research and education organization comprised of the primary farm organizations in Minnesota, dedicated toward identifying and addressing water quality issues while allowing Minnesota agriculture to deliver its full benefit to the state’s population. MAWRC is responsible for:

  • Organizing the data collection, educational, and outreach activities of Discovery Farms Minnesota
  • Coordinating contracts and agreements with local partners and farmer cooperation
  • Collecting and storing farm management and site specific data
  • Organizing and securing funding for the DFM program

 

Minnesota Department of Agriculture

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture‘s mission is to enhance Minnesotan’s quality of life by ensuring the integrity of our food supply, the health of our environment, and the strength of the state’s agricultural economy.

The primary responsibility of MDA for the Discovery Farms Minnesota program is to assist with the establishment and operation of monitoring equipment that will provide high quality, water quantity and quality data from agricultural systems. More specifically MDA is a technical partner and responsible for the following activities:

  • Provide staff support
  • Purchase monitoring equipment
  • Develop procedures for site maintenance, sample collection, processing and analysis
  • Train local partners on sampling procedures
  • Quantify annual and event specific runoff volumes and losses of sediment, nutrients and other selected constituents
  • Assist with outreach activities

 

Special Project Partners

A University of Minnesota research team led by Dr. Carl Rosen of the Department of Soil, Water, and Climate is in charge of the experimental procedure and data collection at the Kandiyohi County Special Project.

 

Local Partners

Not to be overlooked are the special roles played by local partners, such as Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD), Watershed Districts and other local organizations. These groups help fulfill the Discovery Farms mission by operating and maintaining the monitoring stations and assisting with local meetings and other outreach activities. Discovery Farm Minnesota local partners include:

Benton County – Benton County SWCD

Chisago County – Chisago County SWCD

Dodge County – Dodge County SWCD

Goodhue County – Goodhue County SWCD

Norman CountyNorman County SWCD

Renville County and McLeod County – Hawk Creek Watershed Project

Rock CountyRock County SWCD

Stearns County – Stearns County SWCD

 

Wilkin CountyWilkin County SWCD

Wright County – Wright County SWCD