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MARYLAND
| Program | Healthy Soils Competitive Fund | Agricultural Water Quality Cost Share Program | Cover Crop Program | Cover Crop Plus+ | Conservation Buffer Initiative | Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program | Conservation Equipment Tax Break |
| Description of Program | Financial assistance is available to manage conservation practices in new and innovative ways that improve soil health, yield, and profitability and capture carbon. | The programs aims to prevent soil erosion, manage nutrients and safeguard water quality through more than 30 qualifying practices eligible for incentives, such as conservation cover, plantings, grassed waterways, pasture management, etc. | Grants to help pay for seed, labor, and equipment costs to plant cover crops in fields. | Offers higher incentive payments to farmers who use enhanced cover crop practices to encourage greater biodiversity and increased residue management to improve soil health. | Provides farmers with incentive payments to plant streamside buffers on farmland to improve the health of local streams and the Chesapeake Bay. | Federal state partnership program that pays landowners to take environmentally sensitive cropland out of production for 10 to 15 years and install conservation practices that protect water quality and provide wildlife habitat. | Offset costs associated with buying certain conservation equipment to control soil erosion, manage nutrients, and protect local water quality. |
| Agricultural System Focus | Crop & Livestock | Crop & Livestock | Crop | Crop | Crop and Livestock | Crop | Crop |
| Implementation Process | To be determined | Unclear | Apply through local soil conservation district | Apply through local soil conservation district | Contact local soil conservation district to apply | Contact soil conservation district or county Farm Services Agency to sign up | Go to marylandtaxes.gov and search for Maryland Form 502 (individuals) or Maryland Form 500 (corporations). Compute your Maryland adjusted gross income (AGI) without including the conservation equipment subtraction. |
| Agency Managing the Program | MD Department of Agriculture | Soil Conservation Districts | MD Department of Agriculture | MD Department of Agriculture | MD Department of Agriculture | MD Department of Agriculture | MD Department of Agriculture |
| Verification Process | On the ground verification of BMP implementation and random sampling | Compliance and verification is based on an annual random sample spot checks done by the soil conservation districts. The state randomly samples 10% of active contracts (which run from 10-15 years contracts). | To receive payment, you must certify your cover crop with the local soil conservation district within one week of planting and in November. | Unclear | Unclear | Unclear | Unclear |
| Is it providing an incentive? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Incentive Type | Up to $50,000 to support 3 years of enhanced soil health practices | Grants to cover up to 100 percent of the cost to install conservation measures known as best management practices on their farms to prevent soil erosion, manage nutrients and safeguard water quality in streams, rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. | Up to $95/acre | The base payment for this premium incentive program is $125/acre, per year. Optional add-on practices can increase the reimbursement rate up to $180/acre. | Payment rates range from $500 an acre for an existing grass buffer to a maximum of $4,500 an acre to install a riparian forest buffer with pasture fencing. Contracts are for 5-10 years. | A one-time signing bonus of up to $1,000 an acre (through 2031) for new enrollments of riparian forest buffers.Attractive annual rental and incentive payments.Cost-share assistance to install streamside buffers, watering systems, livestock fencing, and more. | Tax Incentive |
| Link for more information | https://mda.maryland.gov/resource_conservation/Pages/Soil-Health.aspx | https://mda.maryland.gov/resource_conservation/pages/macs.aspx | Cover Crop Program | https://mda.maryland.gov/resource_conservation/Pages/Cover-Crop-Plus.aspx | https://mda.maryland.gov/resource_conservation/Pages/conservation-buffer-initiative.aspx | https://mda.maryland.gov/resource_conservation/Pages/crep.aspx | https://mda.maryland.gov/resource_conservation/Documents/taxsubtraction.pdf |