Today the House of Representatives passed a farm bill that includes $175 million for Chesapeake Bay programs, including planting stream buffers, cover crops, and wildlide corridors and improving water quality.

No doubt activists who have been working tirelessly on this project for the past several months (and in the case of the Chesapeake Bay Commission, years) are rejoicing. Farms are the largest source of pollution to the bay -- though sprawl development is catching up -- and many farmers would like to do the right thing with regards to their land but can't afford to.

The bill still needs to clear the Senate. What remains to be seen is how the money will be allocated and whether the largely voluntary cleanup compliance programs that have long governed Maryland's farms will have more teeth, as some would like.

 The legislation, called the Farm, Nutrition and BioEnergy Act of 2007, also provides funds for low-income families to have access to fresh vegetables.