The winner of the 2011 Idea Open, a crowd sourced contest on the best idea for cleaning up Minnesota waters, tackles the biggest pollution problem in the state with a simple solution: Use farmers to teach farmers about the best conservation practices to protect against agricultural runoff.

The winner, Minnesota FarmWise, is a partnership between the Mississippi National River Recreation Area (MNRRA), a division of the National Park Service, and the Freshwater Society.

"Farmers trust farmers," said Peggy Knapp, of the Freshwater Society. "Why would they listen to me? I wouldn't know anything about farming , and they want to know what works."

She said the $15,000 grant would be enough to set up a pilot program of educators and retired farmers who would work in local communities to reach farmers. The goal is to teach farmers farming practices that are effective in keeping soil and fertilizer on the land and not lose it to surface runoff.

Sediment loading -- which carries both phosphorous and nitrogen from fertilizers -- is one off the biggest water quality problems in the state. It's particularly acute in the Minnesota River valley, both because it's an intensive agricultural region and because the geology is especially sensitive to it.

"The most important water quality problem in Minnesota is the sedimentation coming down the Minnesota River," Knapp said. "The farmers know it. Everyone downstream knows it."

But there are 81,000 farmers in the state, and each one works independently. They are reluctant to adopt something unless they know it works and they know it won't cost them. For instance, many farmers do strip tillage -- meaning that they leave organic residue from their crops on the surface. That protects the soil from erosion during heavy rainfall and snow melt.

"A lot of farm culture is rooted in deep tradition" Knapp said. "You might need some additional support to try it." She also said Minnesota FarmWise wants to create a partnership between farmers and researchers on what's most effective.

To hear more about the idea, watch the video.

This is the second year of the contest, sponsored by the Minnesota Community Foundation with funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The Challenge II Lead Partner is Pentair and its Foundation, a global leader in sustainable water solutions headquartered in Minneapolis. More than 10,000 people cast votes.