On-Farm Organics Diversion and Recycling Grant Program - Established

New food recycling grants for Maryland farms

Beginning July 1, 2028, Maryland’s agriculture department offers annual grants for farm recycling, compost use, food-waste prevention, and food rescue. Farmers, urban farmers and agricultural producers, soil conservation districts, colleges, nonprofits, and groups of eligible applicants can apply. Businesses must partner with an eligible farmer or producer and be in good standing with Maryland’s business registration agency. Urban agricultural producers sell, or normally sell, at least $1,000 in farm products in an urban area. Urban areas include Census-defined urban areas and places within municipal boundaries. Grants support Maryland infrastructure, collection, education, and technical help, including rescuing edible food for redistribution. Animal-feed projects must follow department registration and treatment rules; food scraps for composting or recycling must be unpackaged before collection. Eligible costs also include related labor and wages, reputable best-practice training, permit costs, and studies of compost’s effects on farm nutrients and water quality. Priorities include clear, assured local benefits, local food-waste solutions, fewer local harms, and service to overburdened or underserved communities. Compost priorities include meeting Maryland’s general-use standard, avoiding depacking machines, and meeting the U.S. Composting Council’s Seal of Testing Assurance requirements. Job creation, training, inclusive hiring, leadership development, and living wages also receive priority. Overburdened communities meet environmental-health indicators at or above the statewide 75th percentile. Underserved census tracts have at least 25% low-income residents, 50% nonwhite residents, or 15% with limited English proficiency. The Governor must include $250,000 in each annual budget bill starting in fiscal year 2028—not direct household payments. The agriculture department administers the program with the environment department and must seek or identify funding. By December 31, 2028, and annually afterward, it must report grant awards, jobs, state benefits, food-waste results, and farmer impacts. The law takes effect October 1, 2026; grants begin July 1, 2028.