2016 Annual Implementation Reporting Forms in the Mail; Now Available Online

ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Maryland Department of Agriculture today announced that 2016 Annual Implementation Reporting Forms (AIRs) and instructions will be mailed the first week of January to about 5,500 Maryland farmers who are regulated under the Nutrient Management Program. These farmers are required to manage their farms using nutrient management plans and submit AIRs to the department by March 1 describing nutrient applications made during the previous calendar year.  The 2016 reporting forms are currently available on the department’s website.

This year’s reporting form is similar to last year’s form with the addition of several questions concerning innovative practices used to manage manure resources that help Maryland to meet its Chesapeake Bay restoration commitments.

Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) operating under a permit from the Maryland Department of the Environment should submit one combined AIR/CAFO Reporting Form along with a manure analysis to the Nutrient Management Program.

Farmers should follow these guidelines when completing their 2016 AIR:

• Use the pre-filled reporting form that arrives in the mail. Additional reporting forms and instructions are can be downloaded from the website.
• Do not leave spaces blank. If nutrients were not applied, place a zero in the box.
• If the information requested does not apply, write N/A in the box.
• Use the pre-printed envelope to mail the report by the March 1 deadline. Affix appropriate postage.
• Failure to submit a reporting form may result in fines and/or loss of eligibility to receive cost-share funds.

“I urge all Maryland farmers to begin gathering records needed to complete your Annual Implementation Reports,” said Maryland Agriculture Secretary Joe Bartenfelder.  “We need you to submit these reporting forms by the March 1 deadline so that we can fully account for everything that you are doing to protect water quality in local streams, rivers and the Chesapeake Bay.”

Farmers should check their mailboxes for this year’s nutrient management reporting form beginning January 4.  For more information, farmers should contact their regional nutrient management office.

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