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Food, Conservation & Energy Act of 2008

Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

Conservation Stewardship Program

Presentation Objectives:• Announce Continuous Sign-Up• Provide Program Features and Requirements • “How To” Begin Application Process

Continuous Sign-Up Announced

Target Dates

Begin Sign-Up………….... August 10First Cutoff………....…September 30Pre-Approve Apps…….November 16Verify & Approve………November 30

Stewardship Program Purpose

Encourage producers to address resource concerns in a comprehensive manner by• Installing and adopting additional

conservation activities• Improving, maintaining, and managing

existing activities

Created by 2008 Farm Bill

• Replaces the Conservation Security Program of Prior Years

• Authorizes 12,796,000 Acres/Year Enrollment Through 2017

• Broadens Program Availability

Stewardship Program Features

Broadens Program Availability• Available nationwide• Continuous sign-up with periodic cut-offs for

ranking• Adds nonindustrial private forest lands as

eligible land

Stewardship Program Features

Shifts Decision-Making to States• Allocates acres to States to manage• Focuses on resource concerns identified as a

priority for a State or areas of a state• Competitively ranks peers who face similar

resource challenges

CSP Benefits - Participants

• Recognition for Excellent Land Stewardship• Payment for Performance – 2 types

Annual payment for installing additional conservation activities as scheduled and maintaining existing activities

Supplemental payment available for a participant receiving an annual payment who also adopts a resource-conserving crop rotation

Benefits - Natural Resources and Public

• Delivers valuable new conservation• Expands agricultural and forestry producers’

ability to produce greater environmental benefits: Improves air, soil, and water quality Creates and enhances wildlife habitat Assists address global climate change Encourages energy conservation and production

Stewardship Program Requirements

Program Eligibility• Applicant• Land• Stewardship Threshold Requirement (Land

Treatment)

Stewardship Program Eligibility

Eligible Applicant• Operator in Farm Service Agency records• Documented control for contract term• Compliant with

Highly Erodible Land & Wetlands Conservation AGI

• Supply information to determine eligibility

Stewardship Program Eligibility

Eligible Land• Private, working agricultural land

– Cropland, Pastureland, and Rangeland

• Agricultural Indian land– Cropland, Pastureland, and Rangeland

• Nonindustrial private forest land

Stewardship Program Eligibility

Land Eligibility - Entire Operation Required• Established based on how operator represents

their operation for other USDA program participation

• Application includes eligible land in operator’s entire operation

Stewardship Program Eligibility

Ineligible Land• CRP, Old CSP, GRP, and WRP• Public land - Federal, State, or local• Land cropped after 06/18/08 not planted or

considered planted 4 of 6 preceding years• Land other than eligible

Land not in production, or developed areas

Stewardship Program Eligibility

Stewardship Threshold RequirementMust meet or exceed the stewardship threshold

for at least:• 1 resource concern at time of application; and• 1 priority resource concern at time of

application, or by end of contract

Stewardship Program Eligibility

Stewardship Threshold• Land treatment requirement• Assessed on each eligible land use• Measured using the conservation measurement

tool (CMT)

Before Application Process

Producer Self-Screening Checklist • Completed by potential applicant to

independently identify if CSP is right program for them and their operation

• Available at NRCS field offices and on NRCS Web sites www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/new_csp/csp.html

Application Process

Producers Who Complete Checklist and Believe They Are Eligible May Apply

• At any time with NRCS – sign-up is continuous• One or more ranking periods per year

Ranking period cutoff dates announced• Submit application and operation information

Application Process

Submit Application & Operation Information • Program Contract Application• Map/Aerial Photo/Overlay of operation and

eligible land Identify operation Delineate eligible land use field boundaries Provide exact eligible land use acres

Application Process

Ranking Pools • Agricultural land and nonindustrial private forest

land compete separately• Socially disadvantaged pool• Beginning pool

Application Process

If Applicant and Land Eligibility Are Met • Prepare and schedule to complete the

Conservation Measurement Tool

Application Process

Applicant Preparation for Conservation Measurement Tool

• Respond to resource inventory questions• Review CSP activity list and job sheets for

potential new enhancements

Conservation Measurement Tool

Estimates Conservation Performance Level• Inventories current resource conditions to

estimate existing conservation performance level

• Schedules new conservation activities to estimate performance level improvement

Conservation Measurement Tool

Conservation Performance Level• Determines land treatment eligibility• Ranks applications• Establishes annual payment

Application Process

Pre-Approved Applicants• On-site field verification of resource inventory

information provided at application• Producer records required• Substantiate that resource inventory

information was accurate prior to contract approval

Application Process

Pre-Approved Applicants• If records and site visit verify accuracy of

resource inventory information – then proceed to develop stewardship plan and contract

• If information misrepresented or no records – then application is ineligible

Stewardship Contract

• Five year contract• Owner can be participant• Requires participant to maintain existing

activities and install new activities as scheduled in plan

• Payment after October for contract activities carried out in previous year

Payment for Conservation Performance

Annual Payment• Established using conservation performance

estimated by Tool• Calculated by land-use type for enrolled eligible

land

Payment for Conservation Performance

Supplemental Payment• Available to participant receiving an annual

payment who also adopts a resource-conserving crop rotation

Payment Limitations

Person or Legal Entity Limit• Regardless of number of contracts, a person or

legal entity may not receive direct or indirect payments that in aggregate exceed: $40,000 during any fiscal year $200,000 during any 5 year period

Payment Limitations

Contract Limit

• Each contract limited to $200,000 over the term of the initial contract period

CSP Summary

• Continuous Sign-Up Underway• First Cutoff Date - September 30 • Potential Applicants Begin With Producer

Self-Screening Checklist

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