|
NRCS announces signup period for CSP The Agriculture
Improvement Act of 2018, authorized the United States Department of
Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to
accept new enrollments in Fiscal Years 2019 through 2023 for the
Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).
CSP is
for working lands. It is the largest conservation program in the United
States. Thousands of people voluntarily enroll in the program because
it helps them enhance natural resources and improve their business
operation.
It does this by working with agricultural producers to build on existing conservation efforts.
“Whether
you are looking to improve grazing conditions, increase crop
resiliency, or develop wildlife habitat, NRCS staff can custom design a
CSP plan to help you meet those goals,” said Dan Esposito, CSP
Coordinator for NRCS Idaho “If you are already taking steps to
improve the condition of the land, chances are CSP will let you explore
new options and practices.”
NRCS
can help producers identify natural resource problems in their
operations and provide technical and financial assistance to solve any
number of problems or attain higher stewardship levels in an
environmentally beneficial and cost-effective manner.
CSP
contracts are five-year commitments which provide financial assistance,
through annual payments, for installing new conservation activities and
maintaining existing practices. Supplemental payments may be
possible for adopting or improving a resource-conserving crop rotation
and/or adopting an advanced grazing management plan.
Applicants
may include individuals, legal entities, joint operations, or Indian
tribes that meet the stewardship threshold for at least two priority
resource concerns when they apply. They must also agree to meet or
exceed the stewardship threshold for at least one additional priority
resource concern by the end of the contract. Producers must have
effective control of the land for the term of the proposed contract.
Eligible
lands include private cropland, pasture, rangeland, and associated
public lands, tribal agricultural lands, and nonindustrial private
forest land. CSP is available to all producers, regardless of operation
size or type of crops produced, in all 50 states, the District of
Columbia, and the Caribbean and Pacific Island areas.
The application deadline is Friday, May 7.
For more information, please contact your local USDA Service Center.
|
 |