MNTU Joins Informational Hearing on Neonic Treated Seeds
On Monday, April 20, 2025 Minnesota Trout Unlimited members joined an informational hearing on SF3083, a bill to regulate neonic treated seeds. In an informational hearing votes, amendments, or other actions aren’t taken on bills, but they are an excellent way to demonstrate support, connect with others that care, provide education, and lay the foundation for next year’s legislative session. We had a great crew of MNTU members show up in support, a number of letters of written testimony submitted, and MNTU member Monta Hayner provided testimony shared below. Many thanks
“Senator Putnam and members of the committee, my name is Monta Hayner. I am a member of Minnesota Trout Unlimited. I am the President of the local Fly Fishers International Club. I am a MN Master Naturalist. I am an Orvis Endorsed guide through the Driftless Fly Fishing Company in Preston MN and I have been fly fishing the SE MN for 27 years. I support SF3083 because clean water is essential for healthy trout populations, but runoff from neonic treated seeds threatens that.”
“Knowledge of aquatic insects is crucial to successful fly fishing and guiding. I have not seen large hatches of aquatic insects since 2019. I remember the last big caddis hatch was when I was teaching a group of women from Fly Fishing Women of Minnesota casting at the park in Preston. Suddenly there were caddis flies rising from the river in great hoards. The swallows were flying to eat them, and the trout were rising to eat them. The hatches since then are much more sporadic. They do not hatch in the same numbers as before. There are a few and then a few and then a few. I’ve heard this story from other fly fishers.
I regularly pick up rocks in the river to examine the larval stage of aquatic insects.”
“What concerns me the most is most rocks have about half the aquatic insects that were there 10 years ago. I’m talking may flies and caddis flies which are indicator species of the quality of the stream. This really concerns me. Eighty to ninety percent of what trout eat are insects in the larval stage.”
“Having fished in SE MN for 27 years I’ve seen the steady economic growth in this region because of the outdoors activities available. These activities include fly fishing, biking, kayaking and canoeing, inner tubing, camping and hunting. The number of increased campsites really reflects the increase in visitors. Most of these campsites are privately own companies. These visitors are keeping owner operated stores, restaurants and shops like my brothers fly shop going. Employing local people. Outdoor recreation is a growing segment of our Gross Domestic Product, contributing $454 billion nationally in 2021. Trout fishing in southeast Minnesota contributes over 1 billion dollars per year to the State’s economy. This economic growth is dependent on clean streams and drinking water.”
“This bill strengthens monitoring and accountability, ensuring action to prevent contamination and protect our waters for future generations.”
Read more about the impacts of Neonic treated seeds on aquatic ecosystems.