FAQs: CSP Program Basics

PROGRAM BASICS

What is the Conservation Stewardship Program?

The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is a comprehensive working lands conservation program, administered by the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), designed to protect and improve natural resources and the environment. CSP provides technical and financial assistance to farmers and ranchers to actively manage and maintain existing conservation systems and to implement additional conservation activities on land in agricultural production. CSP targets funding to:

• Address priority resource concerns in a given state, watershed or region.
• Improve soil, water, and air quality.
• Provide increased biodiversity and wildlife and pollinator habitat.
• Sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate climate change.
• Conserve water and energy.

How is this program different from the Conservation Security Program?

The Conservation Security Program, also administered by NRCS, was only open to farmers and ranchers in a small number of watersheds each year, and sign-up was only once a year. However, after applicants met eligibility requirements, the Conservation Security Program was less competitive.

The new Conservation Stewardship Program was created in the 2008 Farm Bill. This program is open to all farmers and ranchers on a continuous sign-up basis, but it is a highly competitive program where applicants are ranked relative to the other farmers and ranchers applying in their state or region. Each year, the CSP will enroll 12.8 million acres of crop, pasture, range and forest lands into the program.

Another major difference related to the sign-up process for the two programs is that enrollment under the Conservation Security Program emphasized existing conservation practices and activities and only a limited number of new activities, leaving other new practices to an annual process by which producers can modify their contracts. By contrast, the Conservation Stewardship Program will address both the active management and maintenance of existing conservation and all planned new conservation activities for the next five years in the original contract, without the need for annual contract modifications.

Am I eligible to apply for CSP?

You are eligible to apply for CSP if you meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Your adjusted gross income from farming is less than $1 million ($2 million for most married couples) unless at least two-thirds of your total adjusted gross income is farm income, in which case there is no limitation.
• If applicable, your farm is in compliance with highly erodible land and wetland conservation compliance requirements.
• You have documented control of the land for the term of the contract (5 years).
• You must enroll the whole farm, including rented and owned land.
• Land you are enrolling must be private land, tribal agricultural land or non-industrial private forest land, including cropland, grassland, prairie land, improved pastureland, rangeland, cropped woodlands, marshes, land used for livestock production, and other private lands on which resource concerns can be addressed.
• Land already enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program, the Wetlands Reserve Program, and the Grasslands Reserve Program cannot also be enrolled in CSP, though such land will count toward your whole farm enrollment requirement.
• Land already enrolled in the old Conservation Security Program cannot be enrolled in the new Conservation Stewardship Program until the old contract has expired.
• Land that is cropped after June 2008 that has not been cropped in 4 out of the previous 6 years (unless it was in the Conservation Reserve Program or was part of a long-term rotation practice) is also ineligible.

In addition to these requirements, you must also be already addressing at least one priority resource concern at the established stewardship threshold level at the time of application, agree to adopt or install additional conservation activities during the contract period, and address at least one more priority resource concern at the stewardship threshold level during the first 5-year contract period.

You must also establish a record with the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and be the operator of record in the FSA system.

Can I enroll land in CSP and in other NRCS Conservation Programs?

You cannot enroll land in CSP that is also enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program, the Wetlands Reserve Program, the Grasslands Reserve Program, or the Conservation Security Program. However, you can enroll a portion of your land in one of the reserve programs while placing the rest of the farm in the Conservation Stewardship Program. For instance, you could enroll a riparian buffer in the CRP or a restored wetland in the WRP and then place the working lands that remain in the CSP. You can have the same land enrolled in CSP and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) or the Agricultural Management Assistance program, but you cannot receive payments from CSP and those programs for the same conservation practices.

What kinds of activities does CSP reward?

CSP rewards both your current conservation efforts and future conservation activities.

Current Conservation Efforts
Your existing conservation efforts that count towards CSP ranking scores and payments are not in the form of a list of conservation practices or enhancements. Rather, NRCS will assess your existing conservation efforts with a new tool called the Conservation Measurement Tool, which will be available on the NRCS website in the next few weeks.

Future Conservation Activities
NRCS has published a list of conservation practices and conservation enhancements that will be eligible for reward should you include them as part of your future conservation activities. Download the NRCS Conservation Activity List (PDF) and the individual job sheets for each conservation activity.

What is the deadline for applying to CSP?

Sign up for CSP is continuous but NRCS will have periodic cut-off dates where they will rank applications they received to determine who receives a contract. The cut-off date for all 2010 enrollments was June 25, 2010. Applications submitted now will be considered for the 2011 ranking.

Where do I find instructions on how to apply for CSP?

The Application Process FAQ answers several questions about the CSP Application Process. In addition, you will find detailed instructions on how to apply and links to online forms, visit any one of the helpful weblinks below. You can also contact your local NRCS office. We will add more links here as we learn of them.

NRCS Official Webpage on CSP
Accessing the New Conservation Stewardship Program - a comprehensive website with detailed information on CSP from the National Center for Appropriate Technology
Conservation Stewardship Program Fact Sheet from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

If I miss the deadline, can I still apply for CSP?

Yes, you can still apply for CSP. Your application will be held until the next ranking period cutoff.

What is the length of a CSP contract?

All CSP contracts are five years long. You can extend your contract for a second five years if you meet the following specific criteria:

• You are in compliance with the terms of your initial contract.
• You have added any newly-acquired eligible land that is part of your operation and meets minimum treatment criteria as established by NRCS.
• You meet stewardship thresholds for additional priority resource concerns as determined by NRCS.
• You agree to adopt conservation activities as determined by NRCS.

How is the schedule of activities I will have to complete during my CSP contract determined?

When you are developing your CSP contracts with NRCS, you will determine the schedule of activities you plan to complete. You are required to complete all new enhancement activities by the third year of the contract, and you must complete at least one of these activities in the first year of the contract.