Maryland and the Farm Bill 2.0

## How the Farm Bill 2.0 affects MarylandMaryland has significant poultry concentration on the Eastern Shore and Chesapeake Bay water quality challenges. UMES is the 1890 land-grant. ## Maryland agriculture at a glance | Metric | Value | |---|---| | Farms | 12,000 | | Farmland | 2.0 million acres | | Top crops | Poultry, Soybeans, Corn, Dairy, Crab/Seafood | | SNAP recipients | 650,000 | | Ag rank | Top 30 ag state | ## Key programs for Maryland producers The most relevant Farm Bill 2.0 programs for Maryland:

• EQIP
• RCPP
• Crop Insurance
• 1890 Land-Grants

## What's specifically changing for Maryland

1. Chesapeake Bay water quality: RCPP, EQIP.
2. Poultry: animal disease traceability.
3. 1890 funding: UMES.
4. Aquaculture: Title VII and XII provisions.

## Top resources for Maryland producers - **Maryland Department of Agriculture**: primary state-level point of contact for many federal programs. - **Maryland State University Extension**: local research, conservation planning, technical assistance. - **Maryland Farm Bureau Federation**: advocacy and producer information. - **Maryland FSA County Offices**: direct USDA loan applications, ARC/PLC enrollment, CRP. - **NRCS Maryland State Office**: EQIP, CSP, ACEP, conservation planning. ## How Maryland should think about the Farm Bill 2.0 If you're a producer in Maryland, the most important thing to track is the **interaction between this bill and H.R. 1** (the 2025 reconciliation law). Most commodity policy is locked in by H.R. 1; the 2026 farm bill adds incremental changes on top. For most Maryland operations, the highest-impact changes are likely to be: - **Title II conservation reshuffling**: if you use EQIP heavily, expect tighter funding - **Title VI REAP expansion**: if you're a co-op or in renewable energy - **Title XI crop insurance** for veterans, expanded eligibility and subsidy - **Title XII Prop 12 preemption**: if you're in livestock ## Related - [Full Farm Bill 2.0 Summary](/full-bill-summary/) - [What's New vs the 2018 Farm Bill](/whats-new-vs-2018/) - [Program Finder](/program-finder/) - [Browse all states](/states/)