DEC 2025 | LATEST NEWS

2024 Cooperator of the Year awarded to Wye Mills Farm Limited Partnership

>> Learn more about the Cooperator of the Year

 
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Now Accepting Scholarship Applications

DEADLINE: MARCH 13, 2026

The Roy R. Scott Scholarship is awarded to deserving students who plan to pursue a career path aligned with Scotty’s lifelong commitment to agriculture, engineering, and conservation. Eligible applicants include students enrolled in, or intending to enroll in, an agricultural or civil engineering program, or another agriculture-related field of study that directly supports natural resources, soil and water conservation, environmental stewardship, or conservation planning.

Scholarship recipients are selected based on a combination of academic performance, demonstrated interest in agriculture and/or conservation, and involvement in school and community activities. Participation in relevant extracurricular programs—such as FFA, 4-H, environmental clubs, service projects, technical programs, or other leadership and hands-on experiences—will be considered as evidence of initiative, character, and commitment to the field.

Learn more

Advocating For Agriculture and Conservation

February 2025 | Annapolis, MD

Representatives from Talbot SCD, Kent SWCD and Dorchester SCD met with local legislators in Annapolis this past month to discuss legislation affecting agriculture and conservation efforts.

John Swaine III, MASCD President and Talbot SCD Chairman, led the discussions with several legislators who represents various areas of Maryland.

Pictured left to right is Johnny Mautz, Maryland State Senator from the 37th District, John Swaine III, Charlie Miller, Kent SWCD Chairman, Robert Baldwin, Kent SWCD Manager, Shawn Smith, Talbot SCD Manager, Karen Houtman, Dorchester SCD Manager.

FSCAP is now Bay Friendly Farms

During the MASCD summer meeting held in August, 2023, the former FSCAP program (Farm Stewardship Certification Assessment Program) was announced to the membership as Bay Friendly Farms program. Rebranding the program to highlight the importance of good stewardship on farmland in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Farmers can now work with the Districts to certify their operation as “Bay Friendly” and receive recognition on their website, bayfriendlyfarms.com, and with a sign for their farm headquarters. To learn more about the program, visit bayfriendlyfarms.com, or stop in the District.

Conservation Spotlight: Wetland Restorations

Talbot SCD Manager, Shawn Smith, and the 2021 Cooperator of the Year, Ernie Burns, discuss the benefits of restoring wetlands on marginal farmland. To view more Maryland Conservation Spotlights, visit @MdAgDept on YouTube.


 

Talbot Soil Conservation District, which formed in 1958, is a sub-division of state government and is one of 23 Conservation Districts throughout the State of Maryland.