Budget cuts may affect farmland

Farmers have a big stake in the current special session of the General Assembly called by Gov. Martin O'Malley to close a $1.7 billion state budget deficit.

Money for agricultural land preservation would be cut drastically, and funding for cover crops would be slashed if lawmakers are unable to reach an agreement on new revenue sources to close the gap, said state Agriculture Secretary Roger Richardson.

His warnings were included in a letter to farmers alerting them to some of the proposed reductions and how agriculture would be affected.

At the top of his list was the potential loss of funds for the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation's easement program. An estimated $24 million in state transfer taxes dedicated to the land preservation organization could be diverted to the general fund, Richardson said, preventing the permanent protection of about 4,000 acres of farmland.