NEWS

Dover, Del., Aug. 14, 2009—The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is now holding a continuous sign-up for the new Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).  The first sign-up cutoff period is scheduled for Sept. 30.  CSP is a voluntary program that encourages agricultural and forestry producers to maintain existing conservation activities and adopt additional ones on their operations.

The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill) authorized CSP. Congress renamed and revamped the former Conservation Security Program completely to improve its availability and appeal to all agricultural and forestry producers. Eligible lands include cropland, grassland, improved pastureland and non-industrial private forestland.

 “The new CSP appeals to our diverse customers, agricultural and forestry, and offers them an equal chance to participate—simply based on their level of conservation stewardship,” said Russell Morgan, Delaware NRCS State Conservationist.  “We hope that producers in Delaware utilize this program to its full potential because the environmental impacts are tremendous. For the producers and the public, cleaner water, improved air quality and productive soils are something we all can appreciate.”

To apply for the newly revamped CSP, individual producers and legal entities must complete a self-screening checklist first to determine whether the new program is suitable for them or their operation. The checklist is available online at www.nrcs.usda.gov/new_csp/ and at NRCS field offices.

After the self-screening, NRCS staff will enter the producer’s current and proposed conservation activities in the conservation measurement tool (CMT). This tool estimates the level of environmental performance to be achieved by a producer implementing and maintaining conservation activities. The conservation performance estimated by the CMT will be used to rank applications.  NRCS field staff will conduct on-site field verifications of applicants’ information provided.

A producer must treat at least one resource concern and one priority resource concern during the length of the CSP’s five-year contract.  Delaware’s resource concerns are water quality, air quality, animals, plants, soil quality and energy.  

CSP will offer two possible types of payments—annual and supplemental. The annual payment limitation for a person or legal entity is $40,000. A supplemental payment is also available to participants who also adopt a resource-conserving crop rotation. A person or legal entity cannot exceed $200,000 for all contracts entered into during any five-year period.

Applicants must meet several requirements to obtain a CSP contract. They must be listed as the operator in the USDA farm records management system for the operation being offered for enrollment. They must document that they control the land for the term of the contract and include all eligible land in their entire operation in that contract. They must comply with highly erodible land and wetland conservation provisions and comply with Adjusted Gross Income provisions.

Land enrolled in the Conservation Security Program, Conservation Reserve Program, Grassland Reserve Program and Wetlands Reserve Program are ineligible for the new Conservation Stewardship Program.

For more information about the new CSP, please visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/new_csp or your local USDA Service Center.

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