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Date: June 6, 2006
Release No. 0193.06
Delaware Contact: Stuart A. Lee
Phone: 302.678.4179
Subject: JOHANNS ANNOUNCES FY 2006 CONSERVATION SECURITY PROGRAM CONTRACTS
WASHINGTON, June 6, 2006- Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today announced
the funding of 4,404 Conservation Security Program (CSP) contracts across the
United States, Puerto Rico and Guam.
"This year more producers enrolled in the Conservation Security Program,
demonstrating that incentives work for voluntary conservation programs," said
Johanns. "The conservation benefits derived from this program will help farmers
and ranchers to improve their operations and increase the quality of our natural
resources, benefiting all Americans."
The FY 2006 CSP contracts offered cover more than 3.7 million acres of private
land in 60 watersheds nationwide, which translates to nearly a $440 million
long-term investment in conservation over the next ten years. USDA expects to
fully invest the $259 million provided by Congress for FY 2006. That amount
covers prior CSP contracts and includes $50 million for FY 2006 contracts.
USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service will begin notifying producers of
the contracts today.
CSP is a voluntary conservation program that rewards private landowners for
their ongoing stewardship of natural resources. CSP touches all agricultural
production sectors from livestock operations to cropland and from orchards and
vineyards to sugar bush and nursery crops. The 2006 contracts encourage them to
further conserve and improve soil, water, air, energy, plant and animal life,
and other conservation purposes on their operations, while, at the same time,
creating incentives for other producers to meet those same standards of
conservation performance.
More than 8,570 applications were received during the FY 2006 CSP sign-up.
Environmental enhancement activities offered by applicants include improving
soil quality, water quality, wildlife habitat management, nutrient and pest
management, air quality management and on-farm energy management.
Payments will be made under three tiers of conservation contracts capped at
$20,000, $35,000 and $45,000 annually. CSP contracts last for five years for
Tier I contracts and 5-10 years for Tier II and Tier III contracts. Enrollment
data for FY 2006 show that 99.6 percent of the applications approved include the
complete agricultural operation, falling into the Tier III category for the most
advanced conservationists. CSP will be available each year on a rotational basis
in as many watersheds as funding allows.
NRCS financial and technical assistance promotes the conservation and
improvement of soil, water, air, energy, plant and animal life, and other
conservation purposes. The state-by-state breakdown is as follows:
See chart for breakdown (pdf):
http://www.usda.gov/documents/statebystatenrcscsp062006.pdf
Additional information on CSP, including the self-assessment workbook and
Federal Register notice, is at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/csp.
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