ANNAPOLIS — Southern Maryland farmers with an idea for building better soil have until Jan. 8, 2027, to ask the state to help pay for it.
The Maryland Department of Agriculture is accepting applications for its fiscal 2026-2027 Healthy Soils Competitive Fund, which awards up to $50,000 per project to support three years of soil health or agroforestry practices. The window opened Nov. 2, according to the department’s program page.
Two features make the program a fit for the small and mid-sized operations common in Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties. There is no minimum or maximum acreage, and the money can go toward equipment, staff time and research costs, not just seed. The department says this cycle expands funding for agroforestry, the practice of working trees and shrubs into crop and pasture land.
It is a competitive grant, so applying does not guarantee an award. Proposals are expected to show new or innovative approaches built on four principles: disturbing the soil less, keeping it covered, increasing biodiversity and keeping living roots in the ground.
Who qualifies
- Individual farmers or groups of farmers operating in Maryland
- Individuals or organizations that work with Maryland farmers
- The farm involved must gross at least $2,500 a year, or donate that much in farm products if it is a nonprofit, or manage eight or more animal units, which equals 8,000 pounds of live animal weight
- Applicants must show they comply with Maryland’s nutrient management rules by submitting a current Nutrient Management Plan Certification Form
Farmers unsure about their nutrient management status are directed to the regional nutrient management specialist who serves their county.
What the money can pay for
Eligible practices include cover crops, conservation tillage, pasture and hay planting, conservation cover, critical area planting, crop rotation, nutrient management, integrated pest management, prescribed grazing and soil carbon amendments. A single application can cover more than one practice.
On the agroforestry side, the list covers alley cropping, hedgerows, windbreaks and shelterbelts, silvopasture, and tree and shrub establishment.
The department sets some limits. Applicants are encouraged to rent equipment or buy used where they can. Labor in the budget has to be tied directly to the project and cannot cover general farm operations, work the farm was already doing or the long-term upkeep of a practice.
Winners do not receive the full amount at once. No more than 30% is paid up front, and the rest is distributed annually after the department verifies progress.
How to apply
The 2026-2027 instructions and application, a project narrative form and a budget spreadsheet are posted on the program page, along with planning templates for cover crops, grazing, tree and shrub planting, and grass and forb planting. The department asks applicants to download the documents before filling them out.
Questions go to program administrator Nick Miller at nicholas.miller2@maryland.gov or 410-980-2350. Local soil conservation district offices in Prince Frederick, La Plata and Leonardtown can also help farmers match a project to state programs.
Growers who want to compare notes before the deadline have one nearby opportunity: the University of Maryland Extension’s Southern Maryland Crops Conference and Dinner is Dec. 1, five weeks before applications close.
The soils fund is separate from the department’s Conservation Buffer Initiative, which pays farmers to plant grass and forest buffers along streams and has its own application and an April 30, 2027, deadline.
