Virginia increases funding for agricultural conservation projects aimed at Chesapeake Bay cleanup

by Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury
July 3, 2025

Despite funding cuts across the board for programs and agencies on the federal level, Virginia farmers are seeing a win for conservation projects. The state is showing a dedication to sustainable farming measures by allocating $223 million for agricultural practices that stop pollutants and sediment disturbances that lead to runoff into the Chesapeake Bay.

It is a $16 million increase over the last fiscal year, leading to the fourth year of increasing funding from the state. The program helps farmers in the commonwealth to implement projects that conserve water, help soil health through cover crops, and other sustainability goals. It is part of a larger, multistate effort to improve the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay.

“This unprecedented funding underscores Virginia’s strong commitment to environmental stewardship and agricultural resilience,” said Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources Stefanie Taillon in a statement. “Investing in voluntary conservation practices is one of the most effective ways we can protect our waterways, support farmers and meet our Chesapeake Bay restoration goals.”

Farmers can apply for up to $300,000 in fiscal year 2026 to cost-share one of over 60 projects, including stream cattle exclusion zones, cover crops, and animal waste control facilities. 

“So sometimes they would be implementing a practice, but this is kind of taking their practice to the next level from a work party perspective, and the payment structure is set up in a way to try and incentivize or offset the financial disadvantage of implementing rye over a legume for example,” said James Martin, Director of the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s division of soil and water conservation. Rye is less attractive to farmers as a cover crop because it spreads into other crops.

Martin said it is important to bring farmers to the table on these goals because they understand it is a cost to them to implement these projects. He said he has been pleased with the General Assembly’s investment in cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay.

“If we fail to meet our agricultural commitments in the Chesapeake Bay by 2027 there’s a possibility that the secretaries of agriculture and the secretaries of natural resources would mandate the implementation of nutrient management on crops,” Martin said.

Over a decade ago, Virginia joined other states in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Later, the General Assembly implemented a law that beefed up the requirements for the state to reduce its amount of pollutants running out of its waterways into the Bay. 

There are questions around how the agreement will be impacted with the Trump administration proposing major cuts to the EPA. After a brief funding pause, many of the dollars already allocated by Congress were released to the Bay cleanup programs. It is uncertain what the budget for the projects will be in the next year.

Farmers are able to apply for the state conservation funds through their local soil and water conservation districts.

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