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BWSR Meeting Minutes September 28, 2000 Page Five appropriate for Marybeth to facilitate the retreat as she has been working on the strategic plan and knows the agency, which make the strategic planning process move in the direction needed. New Business Draft Program Guidelines for the Red River Valley Set-Aside Program -Ron Shelito stated that the 2000 Minnesota Legislature appropriated $2,650,000 to BWSR to establish an agricultural land set-aside and related cost-share program to provide short.- term economic assistance to landowners as well as providing durable conservation practices on 5% of the land enrolled. BWSR will allocate the funds to SWCDs in northwestern Minnesota designated primary disaster counties in the 1999 Presidential Disaster Declaration; the counties are Clay, Polk, Red Lake, Pennington, Marshall, Kittson, and Roseau. Ron reviewed the proposed guidelines, the grant allocation, landowner contract and eligibility, plan requirements, payment rates, local criteria, and grant timelines... Discussion followed. Ron Harnack stated that this proposal is targeted as a pilot disaster recovery program for economic assistance. The SWCD will make the determination on application approval based on the guidance. Ron Shelito stated that if MDA provides information on crop disease, BWSR will be provide that information to SWCDs for consideration in their allocation decision. Ron Harnack clarified that cost- share assistance at a rate of 75% for the establishment of vegetative cover is available only if the landowner agrees to maintain the cost-shared practices for a minimum of ten years as per M.S. 103C.501, and if the landowner agrees to sign acost-share contract with the SWCD. Cost-share for tree plantings may include establishment costs for windbreaks for up to three years. ** Moved by Jerome Deal, seconded by Paul Krabbenhoft to approve the draft program 00-74 guidelines for the Red River Valley set-aside program. Motion passed on a voice vote.. Vice-Chair Dahlvang called for a break in the meeting at 10:15 a.m. The meeting reconvened at 10:30 a.m. Jim Anderson reported that MES currently has partnerships with the following agencies: MPCA feedlot structures person; MDA. has two manure educators; federal NRCS EQIP has two shared education positions; and AMC has an educator position. Biennial Budget -Ron Harnack commented on the list of significant issues (CREPT local water base grant issue; general R!M statewide; feedlots; disaster recovery; road replacement; soil survey updates; Red River Basin Board participation; and information management) of reallocation options for the biennial budget. Ron stated if BWSR is