The farm bill funding would focus on the Potomac, Susquehanna, Shenandoah and Patuxent rivers, four of the bay's largest tributaries.
In Maryland, conservation measures are voluntary - long a frustration for environmental advocates. Maryland law requires farmers to file nutrient management plans, but the state carries out few inspections to follow up.
With money available, Eastern Shore farmer Russ Brinsfield said, "this will be the test of whether the voluntary approach works." Brinsfield, director of the University of Maryland's Center for Agro-Ecology, said the infusion would make conserving land a viable alternative to growing corn.
Baker, of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, expects more farmers to join in conservation efforts.
"Now that the funding will be available, there's really no excuse not to participate," he said.
matthew.brown@baltsun.com rona.kobell@baltsun.com
BAY CLEANUP FUNDS
The $690 million includes $438 million over 10 years for bay cleanup, and $252 million in the first five years as the bay's share of other conservation programs.
More money is expected to come during the second five years.
Farmers will be paid to create buffer zones that prevent runoff into the bay and its tributaries, to set aside land for conservation and to limit fertilizer use on some crops.
