Conservation Stewardship Program Applications due Feb. 27

Applications for Conservation Stewardship Program due Feb. 27

Farm Bill conservation program seeks producer participation

 

GAINESVILLE, Fl.,  Jan. 27, 2015—Farmers, ranchers and forest landowners have until Feb. 27 to apply for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), which provides financial and technical assistance to conserve and enhance soil, water, air and related natural resources on their land. Producers earn higher payments for higher performance.

 

The 2014 Farm Bill brought changes to CSP including an expanded conservation activity list that will offer participants greater options to meet their conservation needs and protect the natural resources on their land. These conservation activities, called enhancements, include cover crops, intensive rotational grazing and wildlife friendly fencing.

 

CSP will also help increase the impacts of NRCS’ Landscape Conservation Initiatives by including practices that address goals specific to the initiative. In Florida, this applies to the Longleaf Pine Initiative, and also covers Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.

Nationally the following initiatives are included:

·         Sage-Grouse Initiative - Applicable states: California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

·         Lesser Prairie-Chicken Initiative – Applicable states: Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

·         Ogallala Aquifer Initiative - Applicable states: Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming.

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is funding $100 million nationally to CSP this year with up to 7.7 million acres of private lands projected to be enrolled.

 

“CSP is a way of incentivizing farmers, ranchers, and private forest managers who maintain a high level of conservation on their land and agree to adopt higher levels of stewardship,” said Florida State Conservationist Russell Morgan.

 

A CSP self-screening checklist is available to help producers determine if the program is suitable for their operation. The checklist highlights basic information about CSP eligibility requirements, stewardship threshold requirements and payment types.

 

While local NRCS offices accept CSP applications year round, to be eligible for this year’s enrollment, producers must have their applications submitted to NRCS by the closing date.

 

Learn more about CSP by visiting the NRCS website or a local NRCS field office.