Researcher/Academic

WHY should farmers join the Million Acre Challenge?

Resilience

Potential to achieve increased overall profitability through improved resilience to extreme weather events, reduced fertilizer and pesticide inputs, and more efficient use of equipment and labor.

Connections

Access to a network of peers who are also interested in building healthy soils on their farms through tillage reduction, cover cropping, increasing plant biodiversity, and reduced inputs.

Tools

Opportunities to learn how to develop/further develop soils that store carbon, improve water quality, boost whole farm profitability, and contribute to watershed-wide ecosystem improvements.

Respect

Recognition for active stewardship in the fight against climate change and the opportunity to serve as a regional soil health farmer ambassador.

WHAT benefits do farmers get from the Million Acre Challenge and from healthy soils?

Learning

Learning circles, peer-to-peer networking, field days, workshops, mentorships, demonstrations, and more from a range of service providers via regional Soil Health Hubs

Find Resources

Access to a statewide digital soil health resource center on the Million Acre Challenge’s website

Free Soil Testing

By joining the Challenge, you are eligible to participate in a Soil Health Benchmark Study that assesses health of farm soils and where they stand in relation to other similar farmers through the Cornell Comprehensive Assessment of Soil Health and our partnership with PASA Sustainable Agriculture.

Funding

Mini-grant opportunities to implement a new soil health practice or conduct on-farm soil health research as well as efforts toward larger project-based incentives

Policy

Opportunities to help develop policy recommendations, business case studies, and ecosystem services markets to support adoption of healthy soils practices on Maryland farms

HOW do farmers join the Million Acre Challenge?

Filling out a self-assessment survey enrolls farmers in the challenge and gives them access to tools to track their progress toward healthy soils knowledge and management.

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Tiers of Regeneration

The Million Acre Challenge welcomes farms of all sizes and production methods to accept the challenge of advancing their land on the spectrum of soil health!

 

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Soil Health Hubs

Regional Soil Health Hubs are where growers meet with each other to explore practices, strategies, and opportunities to make farmland more profitable and resilient through healthier soil.

 

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Farmer Stories

We know every farmer, like every farm, is unique. These spotlights feature farmers of all backgrounds across the Chesapeake region – those with different farm sizes, production methods, and farming traditions.

 

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