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Finally, the 2008 Farm Bill has been enacted into law! Our work for farms, farmers and the public continues.

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Spotlight on MarylanD

American Farmland Trust Receives a $650,000 Grant to Enhance Water Quality in the Chesapeake Bay

Farmer Testing WaterAFT recieved a $650,000 grant to support the Mid Atlantic Clean Water Initiative which will implement Enhanced BMP challenge programs in Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania

AFT launched the Mid Atlantic Clean Water Initiative to help farmers enhance their nutrient management and reduce high nutrient levels that impair local and regional water quality. The new project has started with a $650,000 Conservation Innovation Grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The grant was part of a $5 million fund specifically for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.  By working with producers in the field and at the policy level, AFT hopes to reduce between 200,000 and 270,000 pounds of nitrogen and set the stage to expand the program in each state over three years.

More on the Mid-Atlantic Clean Water Initiative>>

Focus on Maryland

Maryland Buy Local Challenge Week

Hands Over Farmers Market GoodsWhen we buy locally grown foods we adopt good environmental practices while stimulating the economy by putting money directly in the pockets of our local farmer. Buying local, shortens the distance from farm to food-stand and ensures the freshness of the product. In an effort to further support the locally grown food movement, Governor O’Mally has proposed a Maryland Buy Local Challenge Week, July 19-27, during which he asks residents to eat one item per day from a local farm. When food travels a smaller distance between farm and stand, it means not only delicious food but also less greenhouse gases, and that’s a win-win for everyone.

Got Land? Maryland Young Farmers Get a Boost

One of the biggest hurdles for the younger generation wanting to enter farming is the sky-high cost of land. At the final hour of the 2008 Maryland State General Assembly, state legislators passed Senate Bill 662, which addresses the problems of young farmers who want to keep agriculture a part of Maryland’s future. » Read more
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Maryland Project Update

Planning for Agriculture Maryland Farm near Sugarloaf Mountain

Land fragmentation and foreign competition for local products are a few of the many pressures threatening agriculture in Maryland and the land base that supports it. The Statewide Plan for Agricultural Policy and Resource Management addresses these challenges and establishes a strategic plan for the future of agriculture across the state. AFT helped create the plan that culminates a 15-month process of surveys, listening sessions across the state, and the Governor's Agricultural Forum. In December, 2007, the implementation committee report reveals 100 of the plan’s 109 recommendations have either been completed or are being worked on by some 34 different offices, departments and non-profits. According to the The Delmarva Farmer The plan could be a vehicle of change, "In the broad sense, in the broadest sense, agriculture needs to keep it cool, it needs to keep focused. These are historic times. We have never been here before. Maryland farmers will need direction, guideposts, if you will. 'The Plan' could point the way."

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A new farm bill: what’s in it for Maryland?

After years of work, we have a new 2008 Farm Bill. What does it mean for you and your community? From the foods we eat, to protecting farms from development, to helping keep our drinking water clean, the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 has many programs that affect all of us everyday.

Contact Us
Jim Baird
Mid-Atlantic States Director
1200 18th Street, N.W., Suite 800
Washington, DC 20036
(p) 202-378-1235 (f) 202-659-8339
jbaird@farmland.org

 
AFT In Your State
 
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Resources
 

Snapshot of Maryland Agriculture

Farming on the Edge: Maryland Farmland in the Path of Development

 
News & Events
 

11/19/2007
Special Session Protects Funding for Chesapeake Bay 2010 Trust Fund

11/5/2007
Maryland State Budget and the Environmental Deficit

10/1/2007
Chesapeake Bay Commission Aims at Getting Biofuels Right

09/07/07
Maryland Consumers and Growers Appreciate the Goal of Buying Local

Presentation
 
The Apple as Planet Earth Presentation

The Apple as Planet Earth
Learn why protecting our farmland is so important.

 
American Farmland Trust