The author of an op-ed piece that appeared in the San Jose Mercury-News over the weekend correctly notes that the public probably hasn't heard about the work of Central Coast farmers and environmentalists to improve the quality of water that flows from farms to the sea.

"There are no headline-grabbing fights, just thoughtful problem solving between partners," wrote Dan Haifley, the executive director of O'Neill Sea Odyssey, a non-profit organization that provides a free education course to fourth to sixth-grades students.

In his article, Haifley explained that Central Coast farmers and environmentalists formed a partnership in 1999 to improve the quality of water that flows from farms to the sea. A few weeks ago, USDA announced that the "Central Coast Irrigation and Nutrient Management Initiative" will receive up to $5.8 million dollars over four years to help area farmers with water quality projects. The funds will go directly to farmers for conservation planning, technical design and financial assistance for irrigation and nutrient runoff prevention.

Haifley mentioned in his article that UC Cooperative Extension was one of the agencies involved in creating this successful initiative.