Maryland Agricultural Water Quality Cost-Share Program (MACS)

Maryland Agricultural Water Quality Cost-Share Program (MACS) is sponsored by Maryland Department of Agriculture. Provides grants to farmers to offset the cost of installing best management practices (BMPs) on their farms to control soil erosion, manage nutrients, and safeguard water quality in streams, rivers, and the Chesapeake Bay.

Accessibility Information ​​​​​​ Conservation Grants Maryland Agricultural Water Quality Cost-Share Program (MACS) Cover Crop Plus+ Program​ ​​ Manure Transport Program​ Ecosystem Incentives Program​​ Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) Conservation Buffer Initiative​ Animal Waste Technology Fund Small Farm and Urban Agriculture Program ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ The Maryland Agricultural Water Quality Cost-Share (MACS) Program provides farmers with grants to cover up to 100 percent of the cost to install conservation measure​s known as best management practices on their farms to prevent soil erosion, manage nutrients and safeguard water quality in streams, rivers and the Chesapeake Bay.

Grassed waterways planted to prevent gully erosion in farm fields, streamside buffers of grasses and trees planted to filter sediment and farm runoff, and animal manure management systems constructed to help farmers safely handle and store manure resources are among more than 40 best management practices currently eligible for cost-share grants.

MACS Manua l details the specifics of these best management practices and includes forms and instructions needed for a project to qualify​ for payment. The most recent version of the manual appears below. Please refresh your browser to ensure you have the latest update.

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SECTION I - Introduction and Overview​​ SECTION II - Eligible Best Management Practices and Cost-Share Rates Eligible Practices and Cost-Share Rates Eligible Practices and Cost-Share Rates 313 Waste Storage Structure 316 Poultry Mortality Composting Facility​ 342 Critical Area Planting 359 Waste Treatment Lagoon 378 Sediment Control Pond 380 Windbreak Establishment ​ 390 Riparian Herbaceous Cover​ 391 Riparian Forest Buffer 410 Grade Stabilization Structure 468 Lined Waterway or Outlet 558 Roof Runoff Structure 585 Strip-Cropping (Contour and Field) 587 Structure Water Control 605 Subsurface Denitrifying Bioreactor​ 612 Tree and Shrub Establishment 635 Wastewater Treatment Strip​ 657 Wetland Restoration for Water Quality 658 Wetland Creation for Water Quality​ SECTION III - Forms and Instructions Additional Provisions for Satellite Poultry Waste Storage Structures Satellite Poultry Waste Storage Sizing Worksheet Notice to Title Examiners Guidelines for Completing Notice to Title Examiners Form Chart of Required Attachments to Accompany the MACS Water Quality Project Form Notes to the Chart of Attachments​ ​ Water Quality Application (Excel File ​ ) Water Quality Project Application Instructions​ Attachment-313 Provisions for All Animal Waste Management Facilities Attachment-313 Additional Provisions for Roofed Animal Waste Storage Structures ​ Attachment-316 Provisions for Poultry Mortality Composting Facilities​ Attachment-316 Provisions for Attaching a Poultry Mortality Composting Facility to a Waste Storage Structure Poultry Mortality Composting Facility Training Certificate Certification Form for 100-Ft Setback Exception Sediment Control Pond Responsibilities​ Sediment Control Pond Cost-Effectiveness Questionnaire Extended Buffer Worksheet Attachment-512 Provisions for Pasture M​anagement​​ HUA Poultry Eligibility Criteria Worksheet HUA Protection (Concrete Pad) to a Waste Storage Structure or a Poultry Mortality Composting Facility (Active or Expired) ​ Provisions for​ Protections HUA/Roofs & Covers​ (Excel File)​ Stream Crossings/Bridges Eligibility Criteria​ Certification of Imminent Start-Up or Expansion of a Livestock Operation Certification of Imminent Start-Up or Expansion of a Poultry Growing Operation Claim for Payment​ (Excel File) ​ Claim for Payment Guidelines Special Power of Attorney Certificate of Sole Proprietorship​ Certificate of Resolution Pooling Agreement Application Pooling Agreement Guidelines​ Transfer of Property Worksheet Nutrient Management Guidance Current Nutrient Management Plan Certification​ Saturated Buffer Attachment Denitrifying Bioreactor Attachment Underground Outlet Attachment​ Subsurface Drainage Attachment​ Provision for 100% Cost-Share ​ Tree In​centive Payment Form and Guidance On-Farm Status Review Form (Excel File) ​​Authorized Signatures for Water Quality Cost-Share Program Authorized Signatures for Cover Crop ​ SECTION IV - Appendix (Click on PDFs below) Agriculture Article Title 8.

Soil Conservation Code of Maryland Regulations Priority Watersheds for Targeting Funds​ 50 Harry S. Truman Parkway Grants for Small Equine and Livestock Operations ​ Realtor Fact Sheet on Agricultural Best Management Practices ​ ensures HTML content is downloaded and parsed first. This also means the site can begin to display prior to loading all JS, which helps display performance.