Photo Credit: Teresa Michael, The Fertilizer Institute
Wheat enrollment is now open for the 2026–2027 season.
Maryland and Pennsylvania wheat farmers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed can earn payments for improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) — while choosing the practices and tools that work best for their operation.
Get Paid to Save on Nitrogen
Through a partnership led by The Nature Conservancy and funded by a USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG), this program provides financial support, technical assistance, and opportunities for on-farm innovation in corn and wheat production.
Rather than prescribing specific practices, the program lets farmers and their trusted advisors identify the approaches that fit their operation. There are three ways to earn:
- $1,000 Planning Payment — work with an agribusiness partner to find ways to improve NUE on your farm. Funding can be used for technical assistance, testing, data management, equipment access, or other planning needs.
- Performance-Based NUE Payment — once you have a plan, you'll compare your current practices against new management approaches. Farmers earn an incentive payment based on the NUE achieved at the end of the season.
- Optional On-Farm Trial Payment — participate in a comprehensive replicated field trial and receive $2,000 for your time and effort. Trials are designed to fit your existing equipment and field layout, with minimal time required.
Eligible Practices
Any practice with the goal of improving nitrogen use efficiency in wheat or corn may qualify. Common examples include:
- Split applying nitrogen
- Improved micronutrient management
- Variable rate nitrogen
- Variable seeding
- Adding nitrogen or boron with a fusarium head blight application
Many other practices are also eligible and may be a better fit for your operation. If you have an idea, talk with one of the partner agribusinesses.
How NUE Is Calculated
NUE = Nitrogen removed in harvest ÷ Nitrogen available to the crop
Nitrogen removed in harvest is measured using either standard published values for the harvested product's average nitrogen content, or a lab test of the harvested product.
Nitrogen available to the crop combines all sources — manure, fertilizer, and nitrogen fixed through previous or concurrent legume crops — based on plant-available nitrogen as recommended by the University of Maryland or Penn State, depending on the farm's location.
| NUE Achieved | Payment to Farmer |
| Less than 60% | $15/acre |
| 60–69% | $25/acre |
| 70–79% | $35/acre |
| 80% or greater | $50/acre |
Historically underserved producers — beginning, limited resource, and veteran farmers — are eligible for a 50% bonus on both voucher and NUE payments.
How the Program Works
Part 1: $1,000 Voucher
- Farmers work with trusted advisors to identify ways to increase NUE in corn and/or wheat using a $1,000 planning voucher
- Vouchers are flexible — any planning with the goal of increasing NUE in corn or wheat is eligible
- The voucher can cover technical assistance, data management, equipment access, testing, and similar support
- Voucher outcomes are shared with The Nature Conservancy
Part 2: NUE Payment
- Farmers implement the practices identified during voucher planning with their advisor
- Baseline management is compared to new management through on-farm comparisons or replicated trials
- NUE is calculated for both the implemented practices and the baseline
- Economic outcomes are calculated to compare revenue changes resulting from the new practices
- Agribusinesses receive a data reporting payment per farm to cover site visits and data organization, entry, and submission — $500 for farms up to 200 acres, $800 for farms of 201–400 acres
Part 3: On-Farm Trials
- Three farms per year from each state are invited to participate in a comprehensive replicated field trial, developed with support from The Nature Conservancy
- Participating farmers receive $2,000 per year
Part 4: Social Evaluation
- Farmers are interviewed twice: once after initial enrollment and once toward the end of the project
- Initial enrollment interviews focus on reasons for enrolling and planned activities; post-participation interviews focus on the farmer's experience and how the voucher and NUE incentives did or did not change on-farm activities
- Farmers who leave the program for any reason are also asked to interview, which helps identify issues with the project design and whether adopted practices are likely to continue without project support
- A representative from each agribusiness partner is interviewed during the project to discuss challenges and overall perspectives, and improvements are made based on that input
Who Is Eligible?
To participate, farms must:
- Be located in the Maryland or Pennsylvania project area within the Chesapeake Bay watershed
- Be growing wheat or corn
- Be working with, or willing to work with, one of the project's agribusiness partners
- Meet USDA NRCS eligibility requirements, including compliance with highly erodible land and wetland conservation provisions, control of the land for the duration of the contract, and an adjusted gross income below $900,000 (waivers considered by NRCS case by case)
NUE payments must support a practice or approach that is not already actively funded through another USDA program.
Participating Agribusiness Partners
- GROWMARK FS
- The Mill
- Rosetree Consulting
- Willard Agri-Service
- AET Agricultural Consulting
Why Participate?
- Explore new nitrogen management strategies
- Receive financial support for planning and implementation
- Measure both agronomic and economic outcomes
- Contribute to ongoing research and innovation in Chesapeake Bay agriculture
- Improve nutrient stewardship while maintaining farm productivity
Questions?
Detailed program information is available at Conservationgateway.org/cig, including the project area map.
For wheat enrollment, contact Andrew Lefever, andrew.lefever@tnc.org
You can also reach out directly to your existing advisor at a participating agribusiness.