2008 MDA Annual Report - Maryland Department of Agriculture

| Office o f Resource Co n s e r v at io n |Office of Resource ConservationThe Maryland Department of Agriculture’s Office ofResource Conservation (RC) works closely with Marylandfarmers to plan and implement conservation practicesand programs that balance crop and livestock production with theneed to protect natural resources. The office provides a range ofeducational, financial, technical assistance and regulatory programsto improve agricultural management in Maryland and protectnatural resources for future generations. Staff works with a numberof local, state and federal agencies, while implementing policiesestablished by the State Soil Conservation Committee. Four keyareas–Program Planning and Development, Conservation Grants,the Nutrient Management Program and Conservation Operationscomprise the Office of Resource Conservation.State Soil Conservation CommitteeEstablished in 1938, the State Soil Conservation Committee(SSCC) consists of 11 members representing local soilconservation districts (SCDs) and state and federal agriculturaland natural resource agencies. The SSCC coordinates the activitiesof Maryland’s 24 soil conservation districts and appoints SCDsupervisors. SSCC also develops, reviews and refines policieson soil conservation and water quality issues, while advisingthe Secretary of Agriculture on these matters. Importantly, theCommittee serves as a forum for all agencies involved in protectingnatural resources.In 2008, the SSCC approved or recommended policy to MDAconcerning:• Wetland delineation as defined by soil conservation districtspreparing erosion and sediment control plans for forestharvesting projects.• Interagency workload priorities aimed at improving programeffectiveness and accountability and establishing measurableresults.• Involvement by soil conservation districts in localdevelopment of jurisdictions’ water element in theircomprehensive plans to assure that agricultural use isadequately accounted for and protected.• Agricultural activities that relate to Notice of Intentrequirements for stormwater management and the role of soilconservation districts in assisting with this initiative.• The establishment of administrative guidelines for the2008-2009 Winter Cover Crop Program, which received themost robust funding in the program’s history.12In 2008, the SSCC received the following briefings and trackedthese initiatives:• New permit requirements for concentrated animal feedingoperations.• Water quality issues related to agriculture as determined bythe Governor’s Water Advisory Committee.• New University of Maryland findings on agricultural wateruse for irrigated cropland.• The use of BayStat to report on state agency activities andevaluate outcomes and efficiencies in the Bay cleanup effort.• A new survey on stormwater management that was distributedto all soil conservation districts.• Governor Martin O’Malley’s Smart Growth Inter-AgencyCoordinating Committee.• The Chesapeake Bay 2010 Trust Fund and a proposedallocation plan for this new funding initiative.Program Planning and DevelopmentThe Program Planning and Development section is responsiblefor planning, developing and coordinating policy, programs, andpublic information on resource conservation issues and nonpointsource pollution. Programs and activities are coordinated amonglocal soil conservation districts, federal and state agencies, andpublic and private agricultural and natural resource organizations.The section provides staffing support to the State SoilConservation Committee, BayStat and the Conservation ReserveEnhancement Program (CREP) Advisory Committee.Manure Transport ProgramMaryland’s Manure Transport Program—the first of its kind in thenation—provides poultry and livestock farmers with cost-sharefunds to remove from their farms excess manure that cannot beutilized in accordance with a nutrient management plan. Poultry,dairy, beef and other animal producers with high soil phosphoruslevels or inadequate acreage to properly utilize their manure mayapply for cost-share grants of up to $20 per ton to transportexcess manure to other locations that can use the product in anenvironmentally safe manner. Cost-share rates are 25 percenthigher for farms located in Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico andWorcester counties.In Fiscal Year 2008, 132 farmers received $520,357 in state grantpayments to transport 99,817 tons of manure to approved farmsand businesses. Delmarva poultry companies provided matchingfunds to transport poultry litter, bringing the total amount offinancial support provided to $891,342.