The Minnesota FarmWise program brings together an under-used human resource (experienced and/or retired farmers) and one of Minnesota’s most important natural resources (the Mississippi River), to address the critical issue of water quality. Water issues in Minnesota are complex, and increasingly urgent. As farmers retire and pass their legacies on, they are looking for meaningful opportunities to give back to their communities. Harnessing elders’ willingness to serve, and a lifetime of experience and deep relationships within a community, the Minnesota FarmWise program partners will identify and recruit experienced and/or retired farmers who have successfully implemented conservation farming techniques. Through a series of collaborative workshops and other educational experiences, Minnesota FarmWise volunteers will develop skills and effective strategies to work with peers and colleagues. These Minnesota FarmWise volunteers will act as ambassadors to other farmers, creating a corps of volunteers to engage in dialogue with peers and colleagues about the challenges facing the Mississippi River and offer tangible ways for farmers and their communities to protect and restore Minnesota’s waters. The Minnesota FarmWise program will focus on working through existing community relationships to mentor, educate and lead other farmers to implement best practices that have been farmer-proven and farmer-approved.

The community served by this idea is defined both by geography and identity. Communities along the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers benefit as sediment in the rivers is reduced. The agricultural community is served by addressing a water quality problem that has emerged and escalated over the past decades. The Mississippi River was recently evaluated for sediment pollution, and the supporting report, The South Metro Mississippi River TMDL, predicts that the upper third of Lake Pepin will soon fill in with sediment, becoming a shallow swamp within the next 100 years. The report is complex, controversial, difficult to understand and challenging to pinpoint effective actions. That kind of information leaves people feeling alienated and overwhelmed. The Minnesota FarmWise program would give a corps of dedicated volunteers the information and skills they need to translate information such as this dense report and other resources into information communities can use to make positive changes that protect the river.