What can I trade?

Once you have determined that your agricultural operation has met, or will be able to meet, the baseline requirement for your watershed, the next step is to determine if you can achieve additional load reductions to sell as credits. Tradable credits can be generated from any existing or planned agronomic, structural, or land conversion practice which you can show has or will result in additional reductions.

Agronomic practices, such as manure injection, reductions in nitrogen fertilizer application, precision agriculture, cover crops, and conservation tillage, reduce or minimize surface, groundwater, or air emissions of nutrients, and credits can be generated from them. These are considered to be annual practices, in that they must be done every year in which credits are needed. Structural practices such as manure sheds, grassed waterways, riparian buffers, and fencing can also generate credits. These practices can generate credits over multiple years as long as they are properly maintained.

Conversion of agricultural land is another way to generate credits. Several types of agricultural land can be converted to a less nutrient intense land use. Examples include the installation or restoration of riparian forest buffers, riparian grass buffers, or wetlands, and conversion to alternate crops. Since MDA does not want to encourage the taking of whole or substantial portions of productive farms out of production for the sole purpose of generating nutrient credits, applications for certification of credits generated in this way will not be approved.

Examples of agronomic, structural, or land conversion practices that can generate credits are shown below.