The Office of Resource Conservation ​provides the state's 23 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 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. They also work with the Departments of Agriculture and 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.

Landowners, farmers, and horse owners seeking free technical or engineering assistance to design and install best management practices on their land to protect natural resources should contact their local soil conservation district.​ ​Soil Conservation and Water Quality Plans required by many federal and state conservation programs are also developed by soil conservation district staff.