CSP Land Owner Grants Ends June 11
Colorado NRCS Urges Landowners to Sign Up Now for Conservation Stewardship Program
Applications Will Be Accepted Through June 11, 2010
Lakewood, CO – The Colorado Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) invites landowners to apply for U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). The deadline to be considered for the next ranking and funding period is June 11, 2010.
Authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill, CSP offers payments to producers who maintain a high level of conservation on their land and who agree to adopt higher levels of stewardship. Eligible lands include cropland, pastureland, rangeland and non-industrial forestland.
“The CSP program will provide landowners with many benefits such as enhancing wildlife habitat and helping to mitigate the impact of climate change,” said Tim Carney, Assistant State Conservationist for Programs, Colorado NRCS. “Voluntary participation by private landowners is an essential part of our effort to improve soil and water quality.”
Congress limited enrollment for CSP nationally at 12.7 million acres per year. Applicants will compete within state-identified ranking pools. CSP is offered in all 50 states, District of Columbia, and the Pacific and Caribbean areas through continuous sign-ups with announced cut-off application dates for ranking periods.
Under the interim final rule published July 29, 2009, eligible producers may submit an application to enroll eligible land in CSP on a continuous basis. Producers are encouraged to apply for CSP now to ensure their applications will be considered during the next funding and ranking period. However, they can make their final decision to participate in the program once the CSP final rule is issued. The final rule will establish the policies and procedures for the program.
Potential applicants are encouraged to use the CSP self-screening checklist to determine if the new program is suitable for their operation. The checklist highlights basic information about CSP eligibility requirements, contract obligations and potential payments. It is available from local USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service offices or on the Colorado NRCS Web site at http://www.co.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/CSP/CSP 2010/CSP2010.html.
CSP offers payments for adding conservation practices and maintaining and managing existing conservation practices. Eligible lands include cropland, grassland, prairie, improved pastureland, rangeland, non-industrial private forestland—a new land use for the program—and agricultural land under the jurisdiction of an Indian tribe.
Land enrolled in the Conservation Security Program, Conservation Reserve Program, Grassland Reserve Program, and Wetlands Reserve Program is ineligible for the new Conservation Stewardship Program.
The new CSP is very different from the old Conservation Security Program. Under the old program, producers were eligible if they were in the selected watersheds. All contracts under the old CSP will be honored until the end of the contract term.
For more information, please contact your local NRCS office or visit the NRCS Colorado CSP website at http://www.co.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/CSP/CSP 2010/CSP2010.html. You may also contact Gary Finstad, CSP Program Manager, at 720-544-2820 or email him at gary.finstad@co.usda.gov.
