Protecting and improving water, soil, and other natural resources
Garrett Soil Conservation District
Merry Christmas!
Important Announcements
Drought Assistance through FSA
If you are a farmer affected by the drought in either Garrett, Allegany, Washington, or Frederick Counties you may be still eligible for Drought Assistance through the Farm Service Agency (FSA). Funds are available for losses incurred by farms raising livestock, honeybees, farm raised fish, trees, bushes, vines, and crop loses for which crop insurance is not available.
Manure Ban
Manure cannot be spread in Maryland between December 16, and March 1.
More information can be found in the Maryland’s Manure and FPR Restrictions Publication.
GSCD 2025 Scholarship
The 2025 GSCD Scholarship will open to begin accepting applications in January. The deadline to apply is May 1. This year, the District will be giving away two $1000 scholarships to local students who are pursuing a degree in Forestry, Agriculture, or a related field for the fall 2025 semester.
The Fruit Tree & Bush Sale is Active!!!
We are taking orders for our Fruit Trees and Bushes for the Fruit Tree and Bush sale. You can order through April 1. Distribution is going to be mid-April.
We encourage you to order early because we are already close to being sold out on a few of the varieties, and we are unable to get more of most of them.
All of our trees and bushes have been customized to the Garrett County and surrounding areas. We are using designer rootstocks for many of the trees to replace highly commercialized rootstocks that have proven to have problems, particularly in our area. All of our trees, bushes, and rootstocks are cold-hardy to lower Zone 5, with most being Zone 4 or below. (Please note that due to chill factor requirements, you should not plant these trees in warmer climates.)
This year, we have varieties offered in three different sizes. We have dwarf (10′), shorter semi-dwarf (15′ to 18′), and regular semi-dwarf (18′ to 20′). Size is specific to the variety in most cases.
We have some great heirlooms like Northern Spy, Wolf Acres, Yellow Transparent, and Summer Rambo. And we have super-disease resistant varieties like Freedom and GoldRush apples and Kenmore, Bluebyrd, and Long John plums. Plus, we have super-cold hardy peaches that have been proven to produce great peaches as far north as Zone 4. What’s more, we are offering a northern Sweet Cherry that produces very well in areas as cold as Zone 4 and still has great taste!
Please check out our Tree & Bush sale shop and tell all your friends and family about it!
District Board of Supervisors Meetings
Regular meetings of the Garrett Soil Conservation District Board of Supervisors will be held in person at the office on the 3rd Tuesday of each month.
Anyone having an item to discuss with the Supervisors is invited to attend any of the meetings. Please click on the “Current Agenda” button for the meeting agenda.
Meetings will begin at 7:00 PM. All dates and times are subject to change if weather conditions, workload, or other factors make it necessary.
Current Agenda will be posted several days ahead of each meeting.
The next Garrett Soil Conservation District Board of Supervisors Monthly Meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, at 7:00 p.m., at the Board Room in the GSCD office. The meeting is open to the public.
Equipment Rentals
The District has a No-Till Drill available for rent. The rental fee for the Drill is $10 per acre. For more information, or to rent the drill, please call our office at 301-501-5886 or email jeannie.frazee@maryland.gov
The Lime Spreader is not available at this time.
E&S Review
For more information about Erosion and Sediment Review Fees, please visit the Erosion & Sediment Control page of this website.
More Announcements
Make sure you check out our “Announcements” tab in the top menu for more important updates.
Helping Local Farmers
Find out more about cost-share funding that is currently available. From high tunnels to fencing to storage and more, your District helps supports our agricultural community.
Helping the Local Community
Find out what the District is doing in our local community. Learn how the Garrett Soil Conservation District supports community education, 4-H, FFA, and more.
GSC Newsletters
Keep informed about what is happening with the Garrett Soil Conservation District. Learn interesting facts. Find out what services are available to local farmers and community members.
Call us to be added to the mailing list if you do not use email. 301-501-5886.
Want to Know More About What the District Has Been Doing?
Read about the impact that your Soil Conservation District has had on Garrett County.
Be sure to follow us on Facebook for all the latest. And please tell your friends about us too!
Photo Gallery
Want to see some great, old photographs from the county? Be sure to visit our Gallery, under the “Contact” tab and our old Oakland flood photos under “Education” > “County Dams”.
