Scientists are hoping the farmers? motto of being the first environmentalists rings true as they look toward agricultural conservation efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“[Agricultural conservation] is not reliant on the development of new technology, and it?s something that we know how to do,” said Beth McGee, a Bay Foundation water quality scientist.
“It?s something we can do now that will reap multiple benefits while we address other big sources.”
Farms are easier and cheaper to correct environmentally, despite most greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane coming from transportation and industry, according to a recent study conducted by Yale graduates for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
The study said if farmers implement conservation methods such as cover crops and no-till farming, 4.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide would be held back from the atmosphere.
These methods are in place, as they also help improve Bay water quality, scientists say.
And despite past tiffs with environmentalists, farmers are working toward implementing those efforts.
For example, the state?s cover-crop program ran out of subsidy funding within the first two weeks of operation in June, officials said.
“It?s good for farmers, good for crops and good for the Bay,” said Gabe Zepp, agricultural development specialist for Carroll County?s Department of Economic Development.
Farmers are willing to adapt to most conservation efforts for environmental and business protection reasons, though some objectors do exist, said Breck Debnam, field crop representative on the Maryland Agricultural Commission.
But more funding is needed to keep up with the demand, officials said.
“A lot of the programs the government sets up don?t have enough funds to back them, giving it a black eye,” Debnam said. “The way the state budget looks, you wonder if [the funding] is going to be cut.”
At a glance
Cover crops are planted after harvest and are designed to keep nutrients from eroding into the water. They are usually destroyed in the spring and serve as fertilizer. No-till farming involves planting seeds with minimal tilling or turning of the soil. This technique does not release as much greenhouse gas and nutrient runoff, and it saves farmers gas money.
