Governor Martin O’Malley announced this week that the Board of Public Works approved $188,865 in agricultural cost-share grants in seven counties for 20 projects that will prevent soil erosion, manage nutrients and safeguard water quality in streams, rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. Together, these projects will prevent 712.07 pounds of nitrogen, 274.69 pounds of phosphorus, and 954.5 tons of soil from entering the Bay and its tributaries. These projects are funded by state general obligation bonds and are not part of MDA's general fund budget allocation.
For the past 28 years, the Maryland Agricultural Water Quality Cost-Share (MACS) Program has been providing farmers with grants to cover up to 87.5 percent of the cost to install conservation measures known as best management practices (BMPs) on their farms to prevent soil erosion, manage nutrients and safeguard water quality in streams, rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. For more information, click here.
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