Did you know that agriculture is the leading source of water pollution across the country? ¹

Or that every spring, farm fertilizer and manure runoff kills marine life in an 8,000 square mile area of the Gulf of Mexico? ²

Bet you didn't know that despite the seriousness and scale of the problem, there are few and limited federal policy controls on water pollution from farms.

To solve these longstanding challenges, the federal government still relies on a voluntary policy approach that centers on paying farmers to do the right thing.

A federal Farm Bill program called EQIP ³ sends about $1 billion every year to farmers nationwide, paying up to 75 percent of the cost of practices that protect the environment and are good for the farmer's bottom line.

However, in our new report on EQIP in the 10 states that border the Mississippi River, EWG found that EQIP funds are not being channeled to projects that hold the most promise for alleviating local water pollution and shrinking the Gulf's so-called "Dead Zone."

The reality is, there's never going to be enough taxpayer money to help all farmers reduce their environmental impact. Year after year, Congress strips money from agricultural conservation programs.

Congress and the President's Agriculture Department can accomplish much more with limited taxpayer funds by first fully funding EQIP, then targeting funds toward projects designed to clean up specific streams, rivers and lakes.

The voluntary approach to farm pollution has a shot at working if the U.S. Department of Agriculture:

1. Sets environmental goals for the EQIP program
2. Figures out which polluted water bodies are the priorities for cleanup 
3. Designs watershed-scale water quality projects to achieve those goals

But if USDA continues to delay effective action on the rising toll of agricultural water pollution, we have to start talking about regulations.