The Office of Resource Conservation ​provides the state's 24 soil conservation districts with operating funds and staffing support to deliver local soil conservation and water quality programs. Farmers rely on the technical expertise of engineering technicians and field specialists working in district offices to help them design and install best management practices on their farms to protect natural resources and comply with environmental laws.  

Districts promote soil and water quality programs that support Maryland's Watershed Implementation Plan to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay by 2025. They also work with both the Department of Agriculture and the Maryland Department of the Environment to address cases of water pollution caused by agriculture. Districts are members of Maryland's Conservation Partnership, a coalition of federal, state and local agriculture agencies dedicated to protecting and conserving natural resources and promoting Maryland agriculture.

Farmers seeking free technical or engineering assistance to design and install best management practices on their farms or develop Soil Conservation and Water Quality Plans required by many federal and state conservation programs should contact their local soil conservation district.​ ​