IAM President, Jake Wildman, was a featured guest on the Red River Farm Network and the Linder Farm Network in August. With Minnesota in the middle of an extreme drought throughout the state, irrigation has been a hot topic in Minnesota agriculture.
Wildman was welcomed by the Red River Farm Network on August 17, 2023, to talk about the anxiety over the future of the irrigation business in Minnesota. During a drought, more reliance is placed on irrigation, increasing the chance to go over the permitted water allocation. Previously, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources had a tiered system for penalties, ranging from $1,000 to $25,000. Irrigators of Minnesota President Jake Wildman says new stricter penalties are now in place. “The new language is a $40,000 fine per violation so let’s say we have five wells and four of them we go over the allocation because of the drought. Would that turn into a $160,000 fine? There was also some different penalties and criminal penalties within that language of the new statutes.” An inconsistent timeline for securing new water permits is also a concern. Wildman, who is based at Glenwood, said he is nervous about the future of the irrigation business in Minnesota due to the uncertainty.
Wildman also joined Linda Brekke, from the Linder Farm Network to highlight the changes and the growing concerns of irrigators in Minnesota. In 2023, the Minnesota state legislature made some changes to laws affecting irrigation, including toughening penalties and fines for irrigation permit violations. Wildman discusses these challenges and how important irrigation is to crops in Minnesota and the new technologies associated with smarter irrigation.
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