Browse Ambrook’s collection of grants, loans, discounts, cost shares, easements, and insurance for silvopasture.

Ongoing/continuous enrollment. Farmers see something they want and contact their local soil conservation district for free assistance in meeting their conservation needs; the $2-per-tree incentive is paid on top of the regular cost-share rate for the qualifying practice.

MDA Office of Resource Conservation

Office of Resource Conservation

A Maryland Department of Agriculture pilot conservation-incentive program (complementing the federal-state CREP) that gives farmers and landowners a menu of incentive payments to plant streamside buffers and trees to improve local water quality. Provides a one-time bonus of $1,000/acre to install forest buffers (like CREP) plus features CREP&#x2004;does not offer: a buffer option for field ditches, flexible site management, and shorter contract terms. Eligible farmers also receive $2 for each new tree planted as part of an approved conservation practice, in addition to the regular cost-share rate, for: Windbreak Establishment ($2/tree plus up to 100% cost-share), Silvopasture ($2/tree plus up to 87.5% cost-share), Riparian Forest Buffer ($2/tree plus up to 100% cost-share), Hedgerow Planting ($2/tree plus up to 100% cost-share), and Tree and Shrub Establishment ($2/tree plus up to 100% cost-share). (Per-acre and per-tree rates and cost-share percentages stated here; no fixed per-recipient dollar cap.)



A Maryland Department of Agriculture pilot conservation-incentive program (complementing the federal-state CREP) that gives farmers and landowners a menu of incentive payments to plant streamside buffers and trees to improve local water quality. Provides a one-time bonus of $1,000/acre to install forest buffers (like CREP) plus features CREP does not offer: a buffer option for field ditches, flexible site management, and shorter contract terms. Eligible farmers also receive $2 for each new tree planted as part of an approved conservation practice, in addition to the regular cost-share rate, for: Windbreak Establishment ($2/tree plus up to 100% cost-share), Silvopasture ($2/tree plus up to 87.5% cost-share), Riparian Forest Buffer ($2/tree plus up to 100% cost-share), Hedgerow Planting ($2/tree plus up to 100% cost-share), and Tree and Shrub Establishment ($2/tree plus up to 100% cost-share). (Per-acre and per-tree rates and cost-share percentages stated here; no fixed per-recipient dollar cap.)

Maryland farmers and landowners installing qualifying conservation practices (streamside/forest buffers, windbreaks, silvopasture, hedgerows, tree/shrub establishment). Contact your local soil conservation district to determine eligibility and get free technical help.

A payment that requires some percentage of matching contributions by the recipient.

Cost Share

Air Quality

Carbon Capture

Certification

High Tunnel

Landscape

Regenerative

Soil Health

Wildlife & Pollinator Habitat

Certified Organic

Certified Grassfed

Cover Crops

Reduced Tillage

Water Management

Forest Management

Disaster Relief

Emergency

A menu of incentives quoted as per-acre and per-tree rates plus cost-share percentages. No fixed per-recipient dollar cap is published, and terms differ by offering.

Conservation Buffer Initiative — "Like CREP, farmers receive a one-time bonus payment of $1,000/acre to install forest buffers." This pilot adds features CREP lacks: a buffer option for field ditches, flexible site management, and shorter contract terms.

Tree Planting Incentives — "eligible farmers will receive $2 for each new tree planted as part of an approved conservation practice," and "This payment is in addition to the regular cost-share rate for the qualifying practice." Qualifying practices and their cost-share ceilings: Windbreak Establishment — $2 per tree plus up to 100% cost-share; Silvopasture — $2 per tree plus up to 87.5% cost-share; Riparian Forest Buffer — $2 per tree plus up to 100% cost-share; Hedgerow Planting — $2 per tree plus up to 100% cost-share; Tree and Shrub Establishment — $2 per tree plus up to 100% cost-share. The tree bonus applies to practices financed through the Maryland Agricultural Water Quality Cost-Share Program.

CREP Signing Bonus — "Newly enrolled farmers and landowners who plant riparian forest buffers receive a one-time signing bonus of up to $1,000 per acre," paid on top of the annual rental payments, in exchange for taking environmentally sensitive land out of production "for 10 to 15 years."

Cover Crop Plus — "pays higher incentives for enhanced cover crop implementation"; the rate is not stated on this page. Its commitment is spelled out: "Enrolled farmers agree to grow cover crop mixes on the same field for three consecutive years, maintain a living root system, and manage the cover crop for maximum benefits."

Conservation Equipment Tax Break — a Maryland income tax subtraction modification that "allows farmers to subtract eligible equipment purchases from taxable income on Maryland individual and corporate tax returns"; no percentage or cap is published here.

Because contract length varies by offering (three consecutive years for Cover Crop Plus, 10 to 15 years for CREP, "shorter contract terms" for the buffer pilot), no single term applies. Enrollment is through your local soil conservation district, which provides free technical help.

Wilding is currently an invitation/partnership pilot, not an open public application. Farmers and ranchers interested in future phases should contact Mad Agriculture.

Mad Agriculture General Information

Mad Agriculture's Wilding program provides market-aligned incentives to farmers and ranchers to convert marginal and subprofitable acres — where costs are high and yields are low — into biodiverse habitat (native prairie, pasture, savanna, silvopasture, or perennial systems), generating ecological value alongside economic value through ecosystem markets and improved farm performance. The long-term vision is to transform 65 million acres into biodiverse corridors over 50 years.



The program targets farmers and ranchers operating regenerative operations with marginal cropland available for conversion. Wilding operates as a partnership-based pilot model rather than an open public application; implementation occurs through strategic collaborations with mission-aligned partners and technical organizations.

A contract to sell an environmental outcome the operation produces - sequestered carbon, a water-quality credit, a habitat credit - to a buyer, rather than receiving an award. Payment is typically per unit (per acre or per ton CO2e) over a multi-year term and contingent on verification, so records using this instrument carry the payment.* and contract.* fields rather than award.min/award.max. Covers both credit-generating programs, where credits are sold to outside buyers, and supply-chain insetting programs, where a company the operation already sells to pays for the practice.

Environmental Market

Conservation

The current Wilding Pilot is a three-year effort in Southwest Wisconsin's Driftless Area to construct 1,000 acres of high-diversity prairie, pasture, and savanna on marginal cropland, strategically linking regenerative farms, public lands, and rights-of-way across the Lowery Creek watershed. Whole Foods Market leads a coalition of 20+ mission-aligned brands, plus ten technical partners.

Apply for the Conservation Buffer Initiative and MACS-funded tree-planting practices by contacting your local soil conservation district. For CREP, contact your local USDA Farm Service Agency office. Program information: Maryland Department of Agriculture, Office of Resource Conservation, 50 Harry S. Truman Parkway, Annapolis, MD 21401, phone 410-841-5865.

Jason D. Keppler

Program Manager

MDA's tree-planting incentives support a range of agroforestry practices that integrate farming and forestry to generate additional farm income, create healthier conditions for livestock and crops, and promote cleaner air and streams. The Conservation Buffer Initiative offers farmers up to $4,500 an acre to install a riparian forest buffer with pasture fencing, plus a one-time bonus payment of $1,000/acre for riparian forest buffers, during its annual open enrollment period (November 1, 2025 through April 30, 2026). Additional&#x2004;practices funded through the Maryland Agricultural Water Quality Cost-Share (MACS) Program include riparian forest buffers, hedgerow planting, tree & shrub establishment, and windbreak establishment (up to 100% cost-share plus $2 per planted tree) and silvopasture (up to 87.5% cost-share plus $2 per planted tree). Maryland's CREP pays land rental rates and a one-time $1,000/acre bonus for new streamside riparian forest buffers. The Healthy Soils Competitive Fund provides up to $50,000 to support 3 years of enhanced soil health and agroforestry practices, with an open enrollment period that typically begins in January and runs for approximately 8 weeks.



MDA's tree-planting incentives support a range of agroforestry practices that integrate farming and forestry to generate additional farm income, create healthier conditions for livestock and crops, and promote cleaner air and streams. The Conservation Buffer Initiative offers farmers up to $4,500 an acre to install a riparian forest buffer with pasture fencing, plus a one-time bonus payment of $1,000/acre for riparian forest buffers, during its annual open enrollment period (November 1, 2025 through April 30, 2026). Additional practices funded through the Maryland Agricultural Water Quality Cost-Share (MACS) Program include riparian forest buffers, hedgerow planting, tree & shrub establishment, and windbreak establishment (up to 100% cost-share plus $2 per planted tree) and silvopasture (up to 87.5% cost-share plus $2 per planted tree). Maryland's CREP pays land rental rates and a one-time $1,000/acre bonus for new streamside riparian forest buffers. The Healthy Soils Competitive Fund provides up to $50,000 to support 3 years of enhanced soil health and agroforestry practices, with an open enrollment period that typically begins in January and runs for approximately 8 weeks.

Maryland farmers and landowners installing eligible agroforestry/tree-planting practices. MACS-funded practices follow MACS eligibility and are applied for through the local soil conservation district. The Conservation Buffer Initiative is available during annual open enrollment (November 1, 2025 - April 30, 2026). CREP is applied for through USDA FSA. Tree & shrub establishment may be applied on any site capable of growing woody plants, including land in USDA and other federal, state, and private conservation programs.

These are per-acre and per-tree rates, not fixed awards — except the Healthy Soils Competitive Fund, noted last. This page bundles several separate incentives:

Conservation Buffer Initiative — "Farmers can receive up to $4,500 an acre to install a riparian forest buffer with pasture fencing." Riparian forest buffers "also qualify for a one-time BONUS PAYMENT of $1,000/acre." Apply through your soil conservation district during annual open enrollment (November 1, 2025 through April 30, 2026).

CREP (Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program) — pays "attractive land rental rates to remove environmentally sensitive agricultural land out of production for 10-15 years and install conservation practices." Farmers who plant new streamside riparian forest buffers "qualify for a one-time BONUS PAYMENT of $1,000/acre." The rental rate itself is not published here. Apply through your local USDA Farm Service Agency office.

Practices funded through MACS (apply through your soil conservation district):
- Riparian forest buffer — up to 100% cost-share, including $2 for each tree planted.
- Hedgerow planting — "up to 100% cost-share to plant the hedgerow and an additional $2 per planted tree."
- Tree & shrub establishment — up to 100% cost-share plus $2 per planted tree. Can be applied on any site capable of growing woody plants, including land already in USDA, other federal, state and private conservation programs.
- Windbreak establishment — up to 100% cost-share and $2 per planted tree.
- Silvopasture — "MACS pays up to 87.5% cost-share to install this practice plus $2 per planted tree."

MACS-funded practices also carry MACS's own dollar caps and 5–15 year maintenance obligations — see the MACS program record.

Healthy Soils Competitive Fund — the one fixed-dollar award in the bundle: "This competitive grant program awards selected applicants with up to $50,000 to support 3 years of enhanced soil health practices." Open enrollment typically begins in January and runs about 8 weeks. Alley cropping and critical area plantings are cited as popular tree-planting fits.

List of Agricultural Funding for Silvopasture