Maryland Senators: Pass the Maryland Healthy Soils Program

Did you know that healthy soil, the kind that increases organic matter, can also sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere?

Healthy soils are also important for growing crops and increasing yields and profitability for farmers.  

The Maryland House of Delegates just passed legislation to establish a Maryland Healthy Soils Program that would promote widespread use of healthy soil practices among farmers in the state.

Some healthy soil practices might include applying mulches (including cover crops), using no-till or low-till farming methods, administering holistic planned grazing of livestock, and choosing natural soil amendments over synthetics. Although many of these practices are essential to organic farming, they are practices all farms can use to build soil organic matter.

If the bill becomes a law, the Maryland Department of Agriculture would provide farmers with research, education, technical assistance, and—subject to available funding—financial assistance.

Please urge your state senator to support the Maryland Healthy Soils Program.

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