ANNAPOLIS -- Bob Ehrlich will visit a 3rd generation family farm in Washington County on Monday July 12th to discuss the importance of cover crops in Maryland.
Since 2004, farmers have followed Ehrlich’s lead to improve Maryland’s land and water by reducing runoff and erosion.
In his first term, Governor Ehrlich doubled funding for cover crops to more than $8 million, thanks in part to his landmark Chesapeake Bay Restoration Act, a plan to reduce pollution in our waterways by 7.5 million pounds. Bob Ehrlich’s leadership left Maryland with a plan to nearly triple the acreage of cover crops planted by farmers and stop millions of pounds of pollution from entering Maryland waterways.
Maryland farmers plant cover crops in the fall, which absorb unused nutrients, prevent soil erosion, and protect waterways and the environment from pollution runoff.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
wait, so is this implying that farmers don't understand it benefits them to do cover crops? The bay aside, most farmers would plant cover crops for the absorption of nutrients and the benefit of not having the top soil eroded.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe farmers followed Ehrlich's lead. Farmers planted cover crops long before Ehrlich, and without being subsidized to do so. But farmers are not fools. If the goverment wants to pay them to plant cover of course they will sign up for the program. If the cover crop program was dropped by the federal and state agencies, farmers would continue good farming practices that is benefical to the land.
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