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For the climate Minnesota needs a Healthy Soils Law

Eight U.S. states have Healthy Soils laws. Minnesota is not among those select eight, although so called conservative states such as Oklahoma and Utah are. The Utah law, passed in 2015, Calls on all agencies “with authority to manage
lands to increase soil carbon sequestration”. The Oklahoma law, passed in 2001, Creates advisory committee to identify and support practices through research and development as well as education. The 2017 Hawaiian law is somewhat more ambitious. It requires the state to identify, measure, and encourage soil health practices and promotes carbon  sequestration, compost, and agroforestry. Hawaii provides a small amount of money for this work. California, which passed its law in 2016 and strengthened it in 2018, provides technical assistance and seven and a half million for soil health programs and demonstrations.

In 2019 there were nine states that introduced Healthy Soil legislation. Minnesota was not among that select nine. The Washington state bill, for example, defines carbon farming as activities that “increase the quantity of organic carbon in topsoil” and would provide grant funding for on-farm efficiency, regenerative agriculture practices that enhance soil health, and agroforestry.

The organization Earth Justice, which provided this synopsis, says that a Healthy Soils law should have as its goals: The reduction of greenhouse gases and the increase of soil carbon. The legislation should support healthy soils practices such as: maximizing the coverage of soil surface by vegetation, minimizing soil disturbance, maximizing above and below ground biological diversity, maintaining living roots in the soil, incorporating livestock on crop land, and reducing chemical inputs to the soil.

Minnesota needs to create legislation that would reduce greenhouse gases and increase soil carbon on its farms and forest lands. We need to make our land healthier so it can help us mitigate the worst of climate destruction. Minnesota can no longer be a leader on this but 2020 is the year for the legislature to act. We need a Minnesota Healthy Soils law.

 You can view the Earth Justice synopsis here  https://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/files/Summary-State-Soil-Health-Initiatives.pdf

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