Md. State Soil Conservation Committee Evaluates Cover Crop Program

Laurie Savage
Maryland Correspondent

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland’s farmers will most likely fall short of a 2011 goal to plant 460,000 acres of cover crops.

While the goal was set using realistic methods that took into account the needed decrease in nutrient runoff and the effectiveness of cover crops, farmers are just not planting that many acres, said Royden Powell, MDA assistant secretary in the Office of Resource Conservation.

One of the most important practices to cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay is planting cover crops, he said.

Powell addressed members of the Maryland State Soil Conservation Committee at their regular meeting Thursday, Jan. 21, at the Maryland Department of Agriculture headquarters.

He questioned how Maryland could accelerate toward that goal or whether the goal is even achievable.

Some program modifications that could be considered include changes in incentives, such as within priority watersheds, and surveying non-participants about obstacles to participating.

Committee members also urged Powell to look at established program dates in both the spring and fall.

Cal Steuart, who represents the Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts, said incentive money won’t make a difference to farmers if program dates are impractical.

Louise Lawrence, chief of the MDA Office of Resource Conservation, said the highest acreage sign-up of 398,000 acres and the highest acreage planted at 247,000 acres occurred in the same year. Cover crops planted during the current season are approaching 205,000 acres.

If Maryland cannot reach the goal, the state’s farmers will have to look at other measures to reduce runoff and meet Chesapeake Bay cleanup goals.

Powell said he most likely will look to the use of precision agriculture, although the effectiveness of cover crops is about two to three times higher.

“Theoretically, agriculture shouldn’t have to pick up everything,” Lawrence said. She pointed to the need for homeowners to contribute their share of the bay clean-up effort.

Powell also said an effort is under way to track conservation practices put into place by farmers not using government programs. The state must identify these practices in order to show bay restoration efforts made thus far by the agriculture industry.

John Rhoderick, MDA administrator for Resource Conservation Operations, said staff are working on a program to help identify and log these conservation practices and will soon be conducting farm visits.

Satellite imagery can also be employed to look for greenness indexes and where cover crops are growing, Rhoderick said.

Staff will have to devise a system for crediting certain conservation practices that do no completely meet government program standards.

Powell said he sees Maryland’s Soil Conservation Districts as leaders in the effort.

“We hope the districts are ready and willing to step up,” he said.

Bob Tjaden, assistant director for agriculture and natural resource programs for University of Maryland Extension, said Extension agents could help with the process as they make farm visits.

Lawrence said Delaware is making a similar effort using surveys.

Jeff Horan of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources said the effort to identify conservation practices previously unaccounted for as well as devising a method for crediting the practices is important to getting in front of bay cleanup efforts.

“Now is an important time to be at the table so we’re not on the menu,” Horan said.