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USDA announced last week that it will begin continuous sign-up for the new Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) on Aug. 10.
CSP, a revamped version of the old Conservation Security Program, is a voluntary program that encourages agricultural and forestry producers to maintain existing conservation activities and adopt new ones. The program was authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill and capped at 12.796 million acres enrolled per fiscal year.
The program will be offered continuously and nationwide, though producers must submit applications by Sept. 30 to be considered for funding in the first ranking period.
Producers considering the program are encouraged to complete a self-screening checklist before applying to determine whether the new program is suitable for them or their operations.
After self-screening, a producer's current and proposed conservation practices will be entered into a conservation measurement tool (CMT) that estimates the level of environmental performance to be achieved by conservation activities. CMT scores will be used to rank applications, which will then be compared to state-set priority resource concerns and other factors.
Staff from the agency that implements CSP, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), will also conduct on-site field verifications of applicants' information, and approved participants must develop a conservation stewardship plan.
CSP funds are subject to an annual payment limit of $40,000, and contracts must cover the eligible land in the entire operation.
USDA also announced late last week that NRCS is seeking public comment on the interim final rule governing CSP's implementation, with a deadline of Sept. 28. For more information about commenting, please visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/farmbill/2008/index.html
For information about the CSP program including eligibility requirements, producers can visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/new_csp or visit their local NRCS field offices.
Policy is one of the most important issues facing farmers today, but often the most difficult to digest. Jacqui Fatka has a passion to decode the often difficult world of agricultural policy into terms understandable for today's ag players.
Fatka joined the Farm Progress team as E-Content Editor in August 2003 after graduating from Iowa State University. Prior to full-time employment with Farm Progress, she interned at Wallaces Farmer magazine, Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley's press office and the Iowa Pork Producers Association and freelanced for National Hog Farmer. She also worked as a public relations consultant with Iowa Industries for the Future, an effort to bring together major players in the biorenewables industry.
Currently Fatka is a staff editor at a sister publication, Feedstuffs. For Farm Futures she regularly tells the story of ongoing agricultural policy changes. Her byline can also be found on management profiles.
Fatka grew up on a grain and livestock farm near Atlantic, Iowa. She currently lives in central Ohio with her husband Eric.
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