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Maryland Department of Agriculture

Leaders in Environmentally Engaged Farming Program

The Chesapeake Bay Legacy Act took effect on July 1, 2025, establishing the Leaders in Environmentally Engaged Farming (LEEF) program. This program will be developed and administered by the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA). While MDA ​is in the process of building the program's framework, engaging with industry partners, and gathering feedback from farmers, it is not yet accepting applications​. More details about the program will be announced soon.

To farmers who are eager to enhance their portfolios, we appreciate your enthusiasm! Please join LEEF's mailing list to receive news and updates about the program. If you are a partner interested in sharing ideas or discussing collaboration, please direct your inquiries to [email protected]. ​

Leaders in Environmentally Engaged Farming (LEEF) is being designed to accomplish the following goals: 

  • A holistic approach to accelerate conservation efforts with the realities of modern farming.
  • Recognize the value of environmentally engaged farming—applied conservation practices, preserving green space, participating in valuable on-farm research, and contributing to building equitable and resilient food systems.
  • Foster stronger connections between farmers, conservation partners, research institutions, and communities. 

Conservation

Conservation tillage, nutrient input reductions, cover crops, natural filters, buffers, wildlife and pollinator habitats, healthy soils practices, adoption of on-farm renewable energy, and more…

Community

Research, mentorship, service to food banks and solutions for food insecurity, participation in Maryland’s Certified Local Farm and Fish Program, participating in Nutrition Programs, and more…​

Value

Practices would have weighted points assigned, according to the intensity of a practice and/or according to its value in reaching statewide goals.

Prioritize

Practice weights can be assigned based on the location of a priority best management practice (BMP), if it falls within the critical area, for example.  

Implement

Farms would add conservation practices based on their unique operational needs, and resource concerns. Implementation must include both conservation and community practices.​

Stack

Farms would be encouraged to add practices that further enhance their efforts and increase their overall score. Higher score would unlock greater incentives. 

Verify

MDA will leverage field assessment staff and data to minimize additional reporting from farmers. 

Tiers

Participants would earn points to qualify for tiers, like the example below:

  • Platinum (80+)
  • Gold (60-79)
  • Silver (50-59)​​​​​
  • Certified (40-49)

Promote

MDA and industry partners would promote a farm’s LEEF status and empower farms to share their stewardship stories.

Incentives

Prioritization for equipment funding or contracts with vendors. Future incentives could include priority access to programs and grants, tax incentives, or lower loan rates. ​

Moving forward

MDA will continue to host focused feedback sessions and share next steps. We welcome feedback via this survey that will remain open throughout the development process, or by contacting us directly at [email protected]. 

LEEF in the news