{"id":29553,"date":"2026-01-29T09:18:29","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T14:18:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/?p=29553"},"modified":"2026-01-29T09:18:29","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T14:18:29","slug":"department-launches-outreach-campaign-to-promote-stream-protection-herd-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/press-release\/2026\/01\/29\/department-launches-outreach-campaign-to-promote-stream-protection-herd-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Department Launches Outreach Campaign to Promote Stream Protection, Herd Health\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/01\/MDA_Stream_Health-1.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"29555\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/press-release\/2026\/01\/29\/department-launches-outreach-campaign-to-promote-stream-protection-herd-health\/attachment\/mda_stream_health-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/01\/MDA_Stream_Health-1.jpg?fit=512%2C306&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"512,306\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"MDA_Stream_Health\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Healthy hers&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/01\/MDA_Stream_Health-1.jpg?fit=300%2C179&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/01\/MDA_Stream_Health-1.jpg?fit=512%2C306&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-29555\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/01\/MDA_Stream_Health-1.jpg?resize=300%2C179\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"179\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/01\/MDA_Stream_Health-1.jpg?resize=300%2C179&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/01\/MDA_Stream_Health-1.jpg?w=512&amp;ssl=1 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><b>Department Launches Outreach Campaign to Promote Stream Protection, Herd Health\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Up to 87.5% Cost-Share Available for Most Practices<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>ANNAPOLIS, MD (January 29, 2025) \u2013\u00a0<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The <\/span><b>Maryland Department of Agriculture<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> has launched a new public awareness campaign to educate farmers about the environmental and animal health benefits of fencing livestock out of streams and providing them with a clean, reliable water source. The campaign spotlights the department\u2019s full range of incentive programs to install stream protection practices that benefit herd health and help farmers comply with Maryland\u2019s livestock setback requirements for waterways. It will run throughout February and features a<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/iaGwmENVLHU?si=mFrdGx2xH-pTx4kO\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">30-second public service announcement<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> airing on local news, cable, and broadcast networks, including Maryland Public Television. Social media messaging will also be shared across a range of digital platforms.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cFarmers who fence off their streams and install watering facilities in pastures report improved productivity and weight gain, fewer injuries, and cleaner waterways,\u201d said Maryland Agriculture Secretary Kevin Atticks. \u201cIf you own farmland next to a stream, contact your local soil conservation district for free technical assistance to install stream protection practices that comply with state setback requirements and enhance both your farm and the environment<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The department\u2019s Conservation Grants Program offers financial incentives to support a range of practices that support healthy waterways and livestock.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Free technical assistance to plan and install practices is provided by local soil conservation districts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Eligible practices and programs include:\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Livestock Watering Facilities\u2014<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Up to 87.5% cost-share\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Livestock Exclusion Fencing\u2014<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Up to 87% cost-share\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Stream Crossings\u2014<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Up to 87.5% cost-share<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Stream Buffers\u2014<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Up to 100% cost-share and $2 for each tree planted. \u200b<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Conservation Buffer Initiative\u2014<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pays up to $4,500 an acre to install a riparian forest buffer with pasture fencing; new riparian forest buffers also qualify for a one-time bonus payment of $1,000\/acre.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)\u2014<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This federal-state partnership program pays attractive land rental rates to remove environmentally sensitive agricultural land out of production for 10-15 years and install conservation practices to protect streams. New riparian forest buffers also qualify for a one-time <\/span><b>BONUS PAYMENT of $1,000\/acre<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u200bFarmers and agricultural landowners who want to learn more about the department\u2019s stream protection practices should visit the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mda.maryland.gov\/resource_conservation\/Pages\/stream-protection.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">website<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Free technical help and application assistance for most projects is available through <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mda.maryland.gov\/resource_conservation\/Pages\/technical_assistance.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">local soil conservation districts<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"># # #<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Department Launches Outreach Campaign to Promote Stream Protection, Herd Health\u00a0 Up to 87.5% Cost-Share Available for Most Practices ANNAPOLIS, MD (January 29, 2025) \u2013\u00a0The Maryland Department of Agriculture has launched a new public awareness campaign to educate farmers about the environmental and animal health benefits of fencing livestock out of streams and providing them with<a href=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/press-release\/2026\/01\/29\/department-launches-outreach-campaign-to-promote-stream-protection-herd-health\/\">&nbsp;&nbsp;Read the Rest&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":251,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[403,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mda-newsroom","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/251"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29553"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29553\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29556,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29553\/revisions\/29556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}