$65,000 Grant Awarded for Agricultural Conservation Innovation

Funding for Further Development and Testing of National Nutrient Trading Tool in Maryland

ANNAPOLIS, MD (Oct. 22, 2009) – The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) received a $65,000 State Conservation Innovation Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service to complete development and initial testing of an online tool for local Soil Conservation Districts to determine baseline nutrient loss compliance and tradable nutrient credit potential of individual farms.

“When finished, this work should lead to opportunities for farmers to receive income for implementing and maintaining the practices that will generate tradable nutrient credits,” said Maryland Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance. “Nutrient trading offers an innovative approach to promoting more productive and efficient land use while meeting Maryland’s water quality goals.”

This State Conservation Innovation Grant builds on an earlier award funding a partnership between NRCS, MDA, the Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research, the World Resources Institute, and the Maryland Conservation Districts  to create a national computerized model incorporating applicable statewide data. The data will include county-specific information on cropping systems, fertilizer application rates and dates, planting and harvesting methods and dates, soil composition, weather, agricultural nutrient load values, and current conservation efficiencies.

Work on the national Nutrient Trading Tool (NTT) prototype is complete. Testing began last week in Carroll County, which is serving as a pilot site for the rest of the state.  Although first reviews of the NTT are promising, additional enhancements are needed to help transfer nutrient loss calculations into a regional delivery model that will comply with Maryland’s established water quality goals and identify the credits available for sale by each participating farm.

In cooperation with the Maryland Department of the Environment, the World Resource Institute, and their subcontractor Current Drive, MDA has developed a complementary calculation and application tool for use in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.  The integration of this tool, known as NutrientNet, with NTT will ensure that Maryland is using the best available technology as the resulting model is expanded across the state.

The new calculation tool represents over two years of collaboration and will be incorporated into the Maryland Nutrient Trading Program and its web-based marketplace and trading registry available online at www.mdnutrienttrading.com.  This site, which  is expected to be fully operational in coming months, will enable users to not only establish baseline eligibility and credit potential, but also record approved credits, conduct trading activity, and manage individual accounts.

Conservation Innovation Grants are administered by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and are designed to introduce promising practices and new technologies to farmers and landowners.