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Statutory Authority: Agriculture Article, Maryland Annotated Code §§ 8-101 - 8-205.  ​
Read the Soil Conservation Article
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Vision and Mission
Vision: A cadre of pro-active soil conservation district leaders working with cooperating agencies to address natural resource issues and deliver programs to farmers, landowners and others to achieve local, state and federal environmental and economic goals.

Mission: To provide leadership statewide, guide and direct the Maryland Department of Agriculture and coordinate among represented agencies and others in matters related to soil conservation and water quality policy and program development to ensure environmental goals are met with programs that are economically, technically and socially feasible.  

Primary Function
State Soil Conservation Committee (SSCC) authority allows it to adopt regulations, manage and dispose of federal grants, provide funds and staff to Soil Conservation Districts (SCD), advise SCDs and MDA, and provide information and education.  

Since 1984 with the formation of the Office of Resource Conservation at MDA, the SSCC role has mainly been to make recommendations to MDA on programs and policies related to soil conservation and water quality, provide information, and facilitate interchange and coordination among a network of local, state, and federal agencies.  In addition, the SSCC has the critical task of appointing 4 of the 5 supervisor positions on each of Maryland's 23 SCD Boards of Supervisors. More information on the Boards and the application process is available under the Supervisor Information section ​below.​