There are times when a good idea can be made even better.

That is the case with the expansion of the state’s Streamside Buffer Pilot Project. It uses a comparatively small amount of money to help farmers plant vegetation along the sides of waterways, with the ultimate goal of cleaning up water downstream. And there is plenty of evidence showing that the all-natural processes of plants can make the nearby water cleaner.

The buffers are the plant kingdom’s version of an NFL offensive line: they block things from getting through. But instead of protecting a quarterback, they protect waterways.

These buffers address two things. The first is fertilizer and nutrients coming off of farm fields. To the plants in the buffer, this flow of nutrients is like an all-you-can-eat buffet. The plants absorb the nutrients, which then never make their way into the water.

Buffer strips also block soil erosion. The strips are generally made up of perennials with robust root systems that anchor the dirt, preventing it from sliding into the water.

When the pilot project started in August 2025, Dubuque County was the only county in which all farms could be enrolled. Farms along part or all of the watersheds of the North Raccoon, Boone, Middle Cedar and Turkey rivers could also be enrolled.

As part of the state’s new water quality law, dubbed Farm to Faucet, farms in the original areas plus all farms in 22 counties can be enrolled.

Those 22 counties are Audubon, Boone, Buena Vista, Calhoun, Carroll, Clay, Dallas, Dickinson, Emmet, Greene, Guthrie, Hamilton, Hancock, Humboldt, Kossuth, Palo Alto, Pocahontas, Polk, Sac, Webster, Winnebago and Wright.

It is natural to be a little leery of an expanded government program. But we feel this one provides benefits without micromanaging anyone’s farm. The program provides some money to plant buffer strips on ground that is so close to waterways that it probably can’t be used for growing corn and soybeans anyway.

We encourage all farmers to seriously consider enrolling in the Streamside Buffer Pilot Project.