FY2021 Adopted Budget

FY2021 Adopted Budget Organizational Budgets

Independent Agencies

Soil Conservation

Mission Statement Our mission is to oversee soil & water conservation in agricultural sectors & urban areas in Frederick County, Maryland by developing soil conservation and water quality plans and providing assistance to landowners to install best management practices.

The Catoctin / Frederick Soil Conservation Districts promote and implement a range of local, state, and federal programs such as the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) programs including the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP), and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). The Districts assist landowners and farmers in obtaining cost-share funding for installation of best management practices through the Maryland Agricultural Water Quality Cost- Share Program (MACS). Our planners develop soil conservation and water quality

plans to address existing resource concerns with solutions. Assisting livestock operations is one of our priorities along with providing assistance for the implementation of Farm Bill programs. We encourage new cooperators and livestock operations and implement the environmental provisions of the Farm Bill. The Districts also review sediment and erosion control plans for construction projects in the county and the City of Frederick.

The Catoctin / Frederick Soil Conservation Districts are members of The Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts (MASCD), which serves as WKH YRLFH IRU 0DU\ODQG¶V WZHQW\ -four soil and water conservation districts on state legislative issues. It also provides a forum for training, policy-making and the exchange of information at their annual and quarterly gatherings. The Districts also promote and implement a range of local programs including the Frederick County Land Preservation and Rural Legacy Programs. Frederick County is the only county in the state with two soil conservation districts delineated by watershed boundaries. The Catoctin Soil Conservation District was established in 1939; the Frederick district started in 1944.

6RPH RI WKH GLVWULFW¶V SURMHFWV LQFOXGH DQLPDO ZDVWH VWRUDJH VWUXFWXUHV JUDVV ZDWHUZD\V VW ream fencing and stream crossings for livestock, heavy use areas for livestock, installation of water troughs, grassed and forested stream buffers and the cover crop program that helps remove residual nutrients from the current crop year with fall plantings of small grain. Cover crops also help prevent soil erosion by eliminating bare ground from fall harvest to spring planting. All of these practices contribute to the reduction of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment entering the Chesapeake Bay as part of the Watershed Implementation plan aimed at improving the health of our Bay.

423