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Agriculture and Water Quality Credit Trading in Minnesota: Emerging Opportunities

Agriculture and Water Quality Credit Trading in Minnesota: Emerging Opportunities. Brian Brandt – Director of Risk Management Programs American Farmland Trust – Agricultural Conservation Innovation Center.

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Agriculture and Water Quality Credit Trading in Minnesota: Emerging Opportunities

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  1. Agriculture and Water Quality Credit Trading in Minnesota: Emerging Opportunities Brian Brandt – Director of Risk Management Programs American Farmland Trust – Agricultural Conservation Innovation Center

  2. Starting It Local: Transferable Market Infrastructure for Trading Water Quality Credits & Ecosystem Services in the Upper Mississippi River Basin $1 million of USDA CIG funding Project led by Minnesota River Board New MN Trading Project

  3. Create self-sustainable local infrastructure and support systems that facilitate ag participation in water quality trading and other ecosystem services markets Define, test and establish transferable approaches using trusted and established local watershed institutions to promote ecosystem service markets Create example market structures and protocols and capture in transferable templates for other UMRB applications Project Objectives

  4. Sauk River Watershed The Lower and Middle Minnesota River The Greater Blue Earth River Basin Target Locations

  5. WQCT due to expected credit demand stemming from forthcoming restrictions on restrictions on wastewater dischargers in the selected watersheds Renewable biomass energy production GHG markets Source water protection Primary Market Drivers

  6. Horseshoe Chain of Lakes TMDL for phosphorus over-enrichment Drinking water/source water protection Lake Pepin TMDL for all sub-watersheds downstream of Horseshoe Chain of Lakes WQCT Drivers in the Sauk River Basin

  7. Three existing WQCT permits Localized relief via WQCT for new or expanding permits for downstream Lake Pepin TMDL Dakota Energy’s pending 2008 energy facility that will use steam from Rahr Malting’s bio-mass fueled plant Food producers and cooperatives for sweet corn, sweet peas, sugar beets and ethanol form natural networks that can assist in the aggregation of agricultural credits Supportive Conditions for WQCT in Middle and Lower Minnesota Basin

  8. AFT is coordinating a project in the Sauk River Watershed in MN Partnering with Stearns County SWCD, Sauk River Watershed District and Kieser & Associates First multiple credit trading project in U.S. Sauk River Watershed Water Quality Trading Project

  9. Organization Chart(Big Picture) Wetland Banking Greenhouse Gas Market Water Quality Trading Habitat Buyer of Credits Ecoservices Project Generator of Credits

  10. Policy Committee Aggregator (Sauk River WD) Technical Committee (Stearns County SWCD) Credit Certifiers (SWCD, CCC, TSP, Eng.) Credit Generators (farmers, foresters, urban) Organization Chart (continued)

  11. Policy Committee Aggregator (Sauk River WD Chair) Technical Committee (Stearns SWCD Chair) Organization Chart(Who) • Board Member (1 each) • SRWD • Stearns SWCD • Aggregator Chair • Tech Com. Chair • Buyer Rep. • Generator Rep. • Ag Consultant Sauk River WD Chair Ag Representative City Representative American Farmland Trust NRCS Rural Water Association Stearns SWCD Chair NRCS U of MN Ag Consultant Sauk River WD Board of Soil and Water Resorces St. Cloud St. University Kieser & Associates (technical consultant)

  12. Approve bylaws Approve protocols/methods Set watershed goals Review fiscal performance Provide forum for public participation Leverage state and federal influence Roles & ResponsibilitiesPolicy Committee

  13. National bench marking report Market base analysis report Facilitate vertical communication of project Coordinate with buyers & ecoservice programs Facilitate standard method protocols and recommendations with Tech Committee, for Policy Committee Trade registry development and operation Market and administrate program Monitoring of water resources Roles & ResponsibilitiesAggregator

  14. Provide technical input on standard methods Credit estimation process Watershed management Perform audit of BMP program Review of applications for accuracy Develop and deliver training materials Assist with ecoservices integration among multiple programs Certification protocol development Monitoring of BMP site for effectiveness Roles & ResponsibilitiesTechnical Committee

  15. Contact Us For more information please contact Brian Brandt at 614 221-8610 or email at bbrandt@farmland.org

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