Rains reduce cover crops near bay

An unusually wet year for farmers could cause trouble for the Chesapeake Bay.

The heavy rains have pitted Maryland farmers against the clock in a race to get their fall crops harvested and their fields replanted with "cover crops" that absorb excess fertilizers that could otherwise pollute waterways. Farm runoff is a leading source of pollution for the bay.

State officials had been hoping to nearly double the amount of farmland planted with cover crops by 2011. But the Maryland Department of Agriculture reports the numbers are down this year. About 330,500 acres are enrolled in a state subsidy program to promote cover crops, down from 387,000 acres last year.

The state also reduced its base payment for cover crops by $5 an acre to $40 this year.