DAVIDSONVILLE, Md. — Everyone knows the classic holiday song, “Over the river and through the woods, to Grandmother’s house we go.” As you and your family travel throughout Maryland this season to visit with friends and relatives, chances are you’ll pass fields and farms along the way.
While you’re admiring the rural landscape, you may notice tractors planting and green grasses growing. Farmers have been planting cover crops on their fields this fall and winter to manage soil quality, erosion and fertility. They help to absorb the excess nutrients in the soil so it doesn’t run off into the waterways and end up in the Chesapeake Bay. Cover crops are one of many Best Management Practices that Maryland farmers implement to take care of our land, water and air.
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 to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay by 2025. According to the Chesapeake Progress report released on Dec. 14, water quality in the Chesapeake Bay has reached a near-record high with the second highest estimate since 1985.
Maryland farmers planted a record-setting nearly 560,000 acres of cover crops in their fields last year as part of the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s 2016-2017 Cover Crop Program. It’s no coincidence that the health of the Bay is increasing as farmers are planting more cover crops.
Some cover crops you may see traveling around Maryland are oats, barley, rye, wheat and legumes. Rather than being harvested for food, cover crops are usually tilled back into the soil at the end of their growing cycle where the nutrients are released as the plants decompose. In a way, cover cropping is like composting — no need for hauling in manure or building a pile — and they’re sometimes called ‘green manure’ for this reason.
Although most crop farmers aren’t as busy in the field during the winter season, they are still working just as hard to produce a safe, abundant food supply and protect our natural resources. Time is often spent fixing and cleaning equipment, filling out paperwork, purchasing seed for next year and hauling excess grain to the bins.
Whether you care about local food, Maryland’s rural landscape or a clean Chesapeake Bay, farmers can be thanked for all of these! We at Maryland Farm Bureau hope you enjoy this Holiday season with your friends and family.
— Maryland Farm Bureau