ANNAPOLIS, MD – Due to recent excessive rainfall and wet field conditions across the state, the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) has announced an extension of the planting deadline for farmers who signed up for grants to plant fall cover crops. Farmers now have until Nov. 12, 2021, to plant qualifying cover crops of wheat, spelt, rye, and triticale in their fields. 

The planting extension is only available to farmers who use the following planting methods: no till, conventional, or broadcast with light, minimum, or vertical tillage. With the extension, farmers must certify their cover crop with their local soil conservation district within one week of planting and no later than Nov. 19, 2021, to be reimbursed for associated seed, labor, and equipment costs. 

Maryland’s Cover Crop Program is administered by the department’s Conservation Grants Program and the state’s 24 soil conservation districts. Funding is provided by the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund and the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund. 

For more information, farmers should contact their local soil conservation district or MDA’s Conservation Grants Program at (410) 841-5864.

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