Livestock farms raising poultry, cattle, and hogs produce animal waste runoff and create a serious water pollution hazard. While the Clean Water Act regulates large livestock producers, the law exempts small and medium-sized operators.

The Senate version of the 1996 Farm Bill, S. 1541, created an Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQUIP) to provide financial assistance to all livestock producers, regardless of size, to reduce animal waste-based pollution. In an effort to target the funds to those farmers most in need of financial assistance, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) offered an amendment to limit EQUIP assistance to small and medium-sized livestock farms.

On February 7, 1996, the Senate agreed to the Harkin amendment, 57 - 39. YES is the pro-environment vote.