ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND — Talbot farmers in the state's cover crop program have until Thursday, Oct. 15, two days from Tuesday, to finish some fall plantings. The Maryland Department of Agriculture moved three Oct. 10 deadlines to Oct. 15, citing recent weather that slowed fall planting.
The extension covers aerial seeding, the incentive for incorporated seeding, and oats and mixes that contain legumes or brassicas. Each now runs through Oct. 15, 2026.
The department said the change is meant to help enrolled farmers plant their crops, meet grant requirements and protect local water quality. The state's program page says cover crops recycle unused nutrients for spring cash crops and reduce soil erosion, which matters for local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay.
To be paid, farmers must certify their cover crop with their local soil conservation district within one week of planting and by Nov. 12, 2026, and submit all follow-up documentation to the district by Dec. 1, 2026, according to the state's program page.
The program is run by the department's Conservation Grants Program and the state's 23 soil conservation districts, with money from the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund and the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund. The Talbot district office is at 28577 Mary's Court, Suite 3, in Easton; its phone number is 410-822-1577, extension 3. The state program can be reached at 410-841-5864.
Source: Maryland Department of Agriculture
Also: Talbot Soil Conservation District, Talbot Soil Conservation District (2), Maryland Department of Agriculture (2)
Drawn from public records; drafted with AI and edited by Peter Gorman before publication.
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