Act Now
Farmers
The Choptank watershed and the Eastern Bay/Miles River complex are traditionally agricultural communities. Agriculture is at the core of our culture and must be preserved. Farmland is an essential part of the beauty and tranquility of the eastern shore and provides important sources of food for our communities. We all cherish these traditions and support their continuation. But we must all recognize that current agricultural practices and those of the recent past have led to unacceptable levels of pollution that are slowly degrading our rivers.
Creb Conservancy Recognizes That We Must All Encourage and Assist the Efforts of Our Farmers to Reduce Nutrient Pollution. We Support the Following:
- To the extent state or government money is available to offset crop harvest reductions or increased farming costs (as a result of extending buffer zones, for example) agricultural landowners who lease their land to farmers should share the benefits of such money with their farmer-operators.
- Buffers of 50-75 feet should extend around all waterfront farms, along rivers, streams, and drainage ditches. Buffers of warm season grass mixes, or native trees and shrubs filter sediment and take up nutrients which would otherwise pollute the river. Federal and state funds may be available to help.
- Winter cover crops should be a part of row crop farming, (such as winter wheat, crimson clover, or barley) taking advantage of federal and state funding assistance. Cover crops retain soil, prevent sediment erosion, and take up unused nutrients preventing their runoff into streams.
- Precision farming should be employed. Have soil tested for fertilizer need amounts before application. Consider knife or point injection of fertilizers. Adopt hand spraying of herbicides (which can reduce herbicide volumes by two-thirds and save money).
- Poultry farmers must prevent raw manure from running off into ditches and streams. Excess manure should be stored in sheds or covered. Only phosphate reducing poultry feed should be used.