EASTON, MARYLAND — Maryland farmers who plant new forest buffers along streams and cropland can collect a one-time signing bonus of $1,000 an acre under a state program that opens to applications Sunday, Nov. 1.
The Maryland Department of Agriculture announced the bonus Oct. 28 for its Conservation Buffer Initiative. Applications will be accepted from Nov. 1 through April 30, 2027, at local soil conservation district offices. In Talbot County, that is the Talbot Soil Conservation District at 28577 Marys Court, Suite 3, in Easton, 410-822-1577.
"Maryland farmers have shown their dedication to conservation and this additional incentive makes practices such as planting forest buffers more achievable," Agriculture Secretary Kevin Atticks said in the release.
The program, now in its seventh year, pays for three kinds of buffers: forest buffers next to waterways beside cropland, grass buffers next to waterways or field ditches beside cropland, and watercourse access control areas next to pastures.
What the program offers, according to the department:
- Payment rates from $500 an acre for existing grass buffers to as much as $4,500 an acre to install a riparian forest buffer with pasture fencing.
- Annual maintenance payments for established forest buffers for the first five years, on top of the signing bonus.
- Contracts of five or 10 years.
- Seventy-five percent of project costs paid up front and the rest after verification. Verified existing buffers are paid in full up front.
- Free technical help from the local soil conservation district.
Nutrient applications are not allowed in the buffers, but mowing and hay harvesting for on-farm use are. All work must be finished within a year of signing. New this year, farmers and landowners can re-enroll expiring grass buffers for another five years.
Applications are first-come, first-served and depend on available funding.
Source: Maryland Department of Agriculture
Also: Talbot Soil Conservation District
Drawn from public records; drafted with AI and edited by Peter Gorman before publication.
Comments
Signed comments are held for review, then published. Obvious spam is rejected before it reaches the editor. Letters and comments.
No published comments yet.