Applications for Conservation Stewardship Program due Feb. 27

Applications for Conservation Stewardship Program due Feb. 27

Enroll to Restore Longleaf Pine Forests

 

GAINESVILLE, Fl.,  Feb. 12, 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. Eligible lands include cropland and nonindustrial private forest lands.  The program emphasizes conservation performance and producers will earn higher payments for higher performance.

 

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

 

CSP will also increase the impacts of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service  Landscape Conservation Initiatives through a new pilot effort that includes practices that address goals specific to the initiative. In Florida, this applies to the Longleaf Pine Initiative, which also covers Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.

NRCS has established a target enrollment of 50,000 acres for the Longleaf Pine Initiative area. Those forest landowners that have completed Longleaf Pine Initiative contracts or Conservation Reserve Program contracts are encouraged to consider the Longleaf Pine Initiative’s CSP pilot.

 

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.

 

Applications should be submitted to local NRCS field offices.  As part of the CSP application process, applicants will work with NRCS field staff to complete a resource inventory of their land, which will help determine the conservation performance for existing and new conservation activities. The applicant's conservation performance will be used to determine eligibility, ranking and payments.

 

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

For more on technical and financial assistance available through conservation programs, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted or a local NRCS field office.