{"id":9931,"date":"2014-05-28T09:39:56","date_gmt":"2014-05-28T13:39:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/?p=9931"},"modified":"2014-05-28T09:39:56","modified_gmt":"2014-05-28T13:39:56","slug":"mda-cover-crop-program-sign-up-runs-june-24-july-15","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/press-release\/2014\/05\/28\/mda-cover-crop-program-sign-up-runs-june-24-july-15\/","title":{"rendered":"MDA Cover Crop Program Sign-Up Runs June 24 \u2013 July 15"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"ANNAPOLIS, MD <\/b>\u2013 The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) has announced that its 2014-2015 Cover Crop Sign-Up will take place at soil conservation districts statewide June 24 through July 15.\u00a0 Governor Martin O\u2019Malley has allocated approximately $20 million for the popular conservation program which provides grants to farmers who agree to plant cover crops on their fields in the fall to conserve nutrients, reduce soil erosion and protect water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Farmers should visit their local Soil Conservation District office during the three-week sign-up window, as this will be their only opportunity to enroll in this year\u2019s program.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor four years running, Maryland farmers have planted more than 400,000 acres of protective cover crops on their farms,\u201d said Governor Martin O\u2019Malley. \u201cFarmers continue to exceed Maryland\u2019s milestone commitments and are a driving force behind Bay restoration efforts. The cover crop program provides farmers with the financial resources they need to make a difference for our waterways and the Chesapeake Bay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Farmers who want to improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries and increase the productivity of their farmland are encouraged to sign up for the 2014-2015 Cover Crop Program. There are two planting options available. Traditional cover crops<\/b> receive a base rate of $45\/acre and up to $55\/acre in add on incentives for using highly valued planting practices.\u00a0 Traditional cover crops may not be harvested, but can be grazed or chopped for livestock forage for on-farm use after becoming well established.\u00a0 Harvested cover crops<\/b> qualify for $25\/acre with a bonus payment of $10\/acre if rye is used as the cover crop. Farmers may fill out one application to enroll in both program options.\u00a0 There are no enrollment caps and certain restrictions apply.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Barley, canola, rapeseed, kale, rye, ryegrass, spring oats, triticale and wheat planted in the fall of 2014 are eligible.\u00a0 New this year, farmers may mix any two approved cover crop species to create diversity, mixes, however, do not qualify for the $10\/acre rye bonus. Farmers may use seed they have saved, but all seed used is required to meet Maryland Seed Law and Regulatory Standards and have a minimum germination rate of 80 percent.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Maryland\u2019s nutrient management regulations require farmers to plant cover crops when organic nutrient sources are applied to fields in the fall. In addition to their water quality benefits, cover crops improve soil health and water retention, increase organic matter in the soil, reduce weeds and pests and provide habitat for beneficial insects.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlanting cover crops in the fall has become a way of life for Maryland farmers,\u201d said Maryland Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance. \u201cCover crops are good for the Bay, good for our farms, and good for the future.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Farmers should check their mailboxes for informational flyers on the 2014-2015 Cover Crop Program. Information is also available online<\/a>.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Maryland\u2019s Cover Crop Program is administered by MDA and the state\u2019s 24 soil conservation districts through the Maryland Agricultural Water Quality Cost-Share (MACS) Program.\u00a0 It is funded by the 2010 Chesapeake Bay Trust Fund and the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund.\u00a0 To participate, applicants must be in good standing with MACS and in compliance with the Nutrient Management Program.<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ANNAPOLIS, MD \u2013 The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) has announced that its 2014-2015 Cover Crop Sign-Up will take place at soil conservation districts statewide June 24 through July 15.\u00a0 Governor Martin O\u2019Malley has allocated approximately $20 million for the popular conservation program which provides grants to farmers who agree to plant cover crops on  Read the Rest…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"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":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","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\/9931","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\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9931"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9931\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9932,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9931\/revisions\/9932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}