Carroll Cover Crops Aid In Improving Chesapeake Bay

Carroll County farmers have enrolled more than 34,000 acres of farmland this year in the state's Cover Crop Program — a grant funding initiative aimed at improving water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

Carroll County farmers have applied to plant 34,337 acres in cover crops this year with the assistance of state funding, according to Maryland Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Julie Oberg.

Last year, Carroll County farmers enrolled 36,321 acres in the program and planted 26,171 acres of cover crops — both the highest totals for Carroll over the last five years — according to Oberg.

The acreage planted by the farmers is typically less due to weather or other issues that prevent farmers from planting cover crops, said Matt McMahon, MDA soil conversation planner.

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