Maryland's Conservation Buffer Initiative
Maryland's Conservation Buffer Initiative supports farmers and landowners in creating or improving farmland buffers to reduce erosion and nutrient runoff and protect local streams and the Chesapeake Bay.
This grant was recently updated
The 2026–2027 application cycle opens November 1, replacing the closed 2025–2026 cycle, and the deadline moves from April 30, 2026, to April 30, 2027. Contact your local Soil Conservation District to apply.
Funder: Maryland Department of Agriculture
Due Dates: November 1, 2026 (Applications open) | April 30, 2027 (Application deadline)
Funding Amounts: $500–$4,500 per acre, plus forest-buffer incentives; 5-year grass and 10-year forest contracts
Summary: Incentive payments help farmers and landowners establish or improve streamside buffers to protect local streams and the Chesapeake Bay.
Key Information: Do not begin installation or planting until you receive the agreement signed by all parties, including MDA.
Description
Maryland's Conservation Buffer Initiative, administered by the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA), provides farmers and landowners with financial incentives to establish or improve buffers on farmland. The program supports grass buffers beside waterways or field ditches, forest buffers planted with trees and shrubs beside waterways, and fenced watercourse access control areas separating livestock pastures from streams. Its goals include reducing soil erosion and nutrient runoff, protecting water quality, and enhancing habitat.
The initiative helps turn marginal land beside streams and floodplains into an asset for farms and local water quality. Additional tree-planting and maintenance payments encourage riparian forest buffers. Local soil conservation districts provide free technical assistance with planning and installation.
