USDA Conservation Stewardship Program announcement

USDA Accepting Applications for Conservation Stewardship Program

$100 million Expected to Attract Enrollment of 7.7 Million Acres for Conservation

WAITE PARK, MINN, Jan. 28, 2015 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture will make available $100 million this year through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). Completed applications must be received Feb. 27, 2015 to ensure they are considered for this year’s funding.   

“Stearns County currently has over 54,000 acres enrolled in CSP, bringing in over $7 million to local farmers and forest landowners. CSP is a way of providing an incentive for 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 District Conservationist David Rose of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). “By focusing on multiple resource concerns, landowners are able to achieve a sustainable landscape and maintain or increase the productivity of their operation.”

Through CSP, participants take additional conservation steps to improve the resource conditions on their land, including soil, air and habitat quality, water quality and quantity, and energy conservation. 

Rose said CSP producers are conservation leaders, showing how science-based conservation and technological advancements can improve the environment and farming operations at the same time. 

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. 

  

As part of the CSP application process, applicants will work with NRCS field personnel 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. To find out more about the CSP program contact the NRCS office in Waite Park at 320-251-7800 ext.3.

For more on technical and financial assistance available through conservation programs, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted or a local USDA service center.