Maryland growers broke the previous record of 475,560 acres of cover crops seeded last year by nearly 17,000 acres, setting a new record of 492,244 acres, The Bay Net reports. It’s estimated the cover crops will prevent 2.95 million pounds of nitrogen and 98,500 pounds of phosphorus from reaching Maryland waterways.
According to The Bay Net:
Maryland farmers planted a record-setting 492,244 acres of cover crops on their fields last fall as part of the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s 2015-2016 Cover Crop Program, breaking the previous record of 475,560 acres planted last year. Cover crops are widely recognized as one of the most cost-effective and environmentally sustainable ways for farmers to meet nutrient and sediment reduction targets outlined in Maryland’s Watershed Implementation Plan to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay by 2025.
“Maryland farmers believe in the environmental and agronomic benefits of planting cover crops on their fields to improve the soil, recycle unused plant nutrients, control erosion, and protect local waterways,” said Secretary Joe Bartenfelder. “This is the sixth consecutive year that farmers have planted more than 400,000 acres of cover crops on their fields.”
In 2010, the EPA established nutrient and sediment limits for the Chesapeake Bay known as the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). Maryland and the other Bay jurisdictions are working to meet these pollution thresholds by implementing their Watershed Implementation Plans. To date, Maryland farmers have exceeded all three sets of Bay milestone commitments for cover crops outlined in the State’s Watershed Implementation Plan.
