Department Accepting Applications for New “Haul Now, Apply Later” FastTrack Grants to Transport Poultry Manure

Increased Rates Statewide, Added Incentives for Lower Shore Counties

ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Maryland Department of Agriculture encourages farmers who want to use poultry manure as a crop fertilizer and soil conditioner to apply for the new and improved FastTrack grants that will allow them to haul poultry manure now and apply for cost-share reimbursement later. 

FastTrack grants allow farmers to haul poultry manure to their fields as soon as they need it. Farmers may apply for cost-share first and submit a claim for payment directly to the department after hauling is complete. Alternatively, the application and claim form can be submitted together after the manure has been transported using the haul now, apply later option. Farmers with fields that have allowable soil phosphorus levels, below a Fertility Index Value of 101, are eligible to participate. Applicants are encouraged to read the rules carefully to ensure that all requirements are met at the outset. 

To further encourage participation, the department has increased the cost-share rate to haul poultry manure that is generated in Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester counties from $0.12 per ton per mile to $0.16 per ton per mile. The rate to haul poultry manure generated in other Maryland counties is $0.14 per ton per mile. 

Both farmers and manure brokers are eligible to participate in this program. Interested participants can download grant applications and claim forms directly from the department’s website without having to leave their farms. Completed forms should be mailed to the following address:

Maryland Department of Agriculture 

Conservation Grants
50 Harry S. Truman Parkway, RM 207
Annapolis, MD 21401

Visit the Manure Transport Program’s website for more information on the FastTrack grants and application process. For additional assistance, please contact the department’s Manure Transport Program at 410-841-5864. 

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