MAEAP

Learn

Attend a workshop or schedule a private meeting to learn if MAEAP is right for you.  Alternately, you can review educational materials on the MAEAP website at your own pace.

Implement

Do the work at your own pace. Our MAEAP technicians are here to help you every step of the way. A technician will help you develop your plan of action, and fill out paperwork. He or she will also steer you to cost share and expert help, if you want.

Recognition

Once the work is complete, you can contact the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. A verifier from MDARD will visit your farm to ensure the recommended practices are in place and address erosion and runoff risks on your land. When the work is done, we will give you a sign to place on your farm and send you a certificate signed by the Director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Cost-Share Program

The Mason-Lake Conservation District is offering cost share to farms in Mason, Manistee, and Western Lake Counties to help assist with achieving MAEAP verification. The four systems that farms can be MAEAP verified in include Farmstead, Cropping, Livestock, and Forest, Wetland, and Habitat. With these systems, there are certain management practices that farms need to implement to be MAEAP verified. Our cost share program is available to help farms achieve these practices, and farms that are one or two practices away from MAEAP verification are eligible to apply.  All MAEAP projects approved for cost share will receive a 50% reimbursement, up to a maximum of $500 per producer.

For additional information on practices that are included in the cost share and to find the application,   click here.