ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Maryland Department of Agriculture reminds citizens in rural areas to expect an increase in low-flying airplanes or helicopters through Oct. 10, 2023. This is the time of year that farmers enrolled in Maryland’s Cover Crop Program are aerially seeding small grains in their fields to help protect water quality in local streams and the Chesapeake Bay and improve their soil’s health.
“Our nationally recognized Cover Crop Program is very popular with Maryland farmers,” said Maryland Department of Agriculture Secretary Kevin Atticks. “Aerial seeding is a fast and efficient way to plant cover crops on fields to recover any leftover nutrients from summer crops. People living in rural Maryland should expect an increase in low-flying aircraft over the next several weeks while aerial seeding occurs.”
Farmers enrolled in the department’s Cover Crop Program receive grants to plant small grains, legumes, and other types of cover crops in their fields in the fall. Farmers may incorporate seeds into newly harvested fields or aerially seed them into standing corn, soybeans, or sorghum.
Once established, cover crops work all winter long to provide a living, protective cover against erosion and nutrient runoff while building the soil’s organic matter for the following crop. Importantly, cover crops help the soil capture and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. While planting cover crops, no pesticides or fertilizers are applied. For aerial seeding, small planes will take off from local airports serving the county or region.
Maryland’s Cover Crop Program is funded by the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund and the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund. The program is administered by MDA and the state’s 24 soil conservation districts through the Conservation Grants Program. For more information, please contact your local soil conservation district.
