Water Quality Targeting Success Stories (original) (raw)

Farmers operate on 915 million acres of farmland, or about 40 percent of all land in the United States. They are critically important stewards of the soil, wildlife, and water resources sharing that landscape. The long-term viability of their farming businesses depends on the good management of these agriculturally influenced ecosystems. But farmers are facing unprecedented challenges to meet food production demands, remain economically viable, and solve water quality problems associated with food, fiber, and energy production. Over 15,000 water bodies are listed as "impaired" because of pollution from excess nutrients associated with cropland, pastureland, grazing land, and animal feeding areas. And many more water bodies are impaired by agriculture-related sediment, livestock pathogens, and pesticides. These frequently invisible problems can limit the use of rivers and lakes for drinking water, recreational activities, aquatic habitat, and more. This report recommends a set of actions that could be taken by USDA, EPA, Congress, charitable foundations, and the corporate supply chain communities to help RCPP projects realize their full potential. If these stakeholders make the program changes, provide the increased funding, and disseminate the technical guidance called for in this report, RCPP project leaders will be able to quantify conservation results, at both watershedand field-scale. Not only will this demonstrate how farmers are good stewards of the land, but it will provide solid evidence that voluntary, incentivebased conservation works.