Water conservation was the focus of the latest installment of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance’s (USFRA) series of Food Dialogues, held this week in Minneapolis, and for panelist Rebecca Flood, Assistant Commissioner for Water Policy at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), protecting our water supply is at the heart of her entire career.

Flood oversees MPCA’s programs and activities dedicated to the maintenance and improvement of Minnesota’s abundant water resources. She serves as the liaison to the agricultural sector, and assisted the Minnesota Department of Agriculture with the development of the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program, a voluntary program designed to expedite adoption of agricultural best management practices specifically designed to protect water quality.

Her participation in the panel was passionate, eloquent, and optimistic, with a focus on the importance of continuous data collection on water quality, as well as a strong vocal support for increased collaboration between conservation agencies and producers.

“The data and information we now have now that we are able to adequately fund our monitoring and assessment is allowing us to be able to craft solutions and work with farmers on these issues. We want to be able to work with farmers to craft solutions that are both environmentally and economically friendly so we don’t have any negative, unintended consequences down the road,” she said in an interview following the panel discussion.

Listen to her full interview here:
[wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/fd-16-mpca-flood.mp3″ text=”Interview with Rebecca Flood, MPCA”]

View and download photos from the event here: Food Dialogue: Minneapolis Photo Album