EASTON, MARYLAND — Maryland’s cover-crop check is a planting-method ladder, not a county scoreboard.
MDA’s 2026–2027 Cover Crop Program posts a traditional payment table built on a $35-per-acre base. Add-ons can raise the check to $65 per acre for no-till, conventional, or broadcast-with-tillage paths when growers incorporate by Oct. 10 and plant rye, triticale, or a multi-species mix. Aerial and broadcast-stalk-chop paths top out at $50 per acre under the same table. MDA’s June 17, 2026, signup release put the statewide program budget at $22 million. Enrollment ran June 22–July 17 and is now closed.
A separate path on the same official pages allows non-poultry manure on cover-crop fields in the fall at a reduced $25-per-acre rate. That option does not get the add-on incentives. Growers must plant at least 10 acres and stay inside Nutrient Management Plan acreage.
The program pages do not publish a Talbot County enrolled-acre total. Blank county acres stay blank.
| Path (traditional) | Base | Incorporate by Oct. 10 | Rye / triticale / multi-species | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No-till | $35/ac | +$15 | +$15 | $65/ac |
| Conventional | $35/ac | +$15 | +$15 | $65/ac |
| Broadcast with light/medium/vertical tillage | $35/ac | +$15 | +$15 | $65/ac |
| Aerial | $35/ac | $0 | +$15 | $50/ac |
| Broadcast stalk chop / cultipacker | $35/ac | $0 | +$15 | $50/ac |
Source: Maryland Department of Agriculture
Drawn from public records; drafted with AI and edited by Peter Gorman before publication.
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