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Food, Conservation & Energy Act of 2008
Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
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Conservation Stewardship Program
Presentation Objectives:• Announce Continuous Sign-Up• Provide Program Features and Requirements • “How To” Begin Application Process
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Continuous Sign-Up Announced
Target Dates
Begin Sign-Up………….... August 10First Cutoff………....…September 30Pre-Approve Apps…….November 16Verify & Approve………November 30
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Stewardship Program Requirements
Program Eligibility• Applicant• Land• Stewardship Threshold Requirement (Land
Treatment)
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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
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Stewardship Program Eligibility
Eligible Land• Private, working agricultural land
– Cropland, Pastureland, and Rangeland
• Agricultural Indian land– Cropland, Pastureland, and Rangeland
• Nonindustrial private forest land
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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
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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
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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
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Stewardship Program Eligibility
Stewardship Threshold• Land treatment requirement• Assessed on each eligible land use• Measured using the conservation measurement
tool (CMT)
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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
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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
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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
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Application Process
Ranking Pools • Agricultural land and nonindustrial private forest
land compete separately• Socially disadvantaged pool• Beginning pool
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Application Process
If Applicant and Land Eligibility Are Met • Prepare and schedule to complete the
Conservation Measurement Tool
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Application Process
Applicant Preparation for Conservation Measurement Tool
• Respond to resource inventory questions• Review CSP activity list and job sheets for
potential new enhancements
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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
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Conservation Measurement Tool
Conservation Performance Level• Determines land treatment eligibility• Ranks applications• Establishes annual payment
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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
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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
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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
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Payment for Conservation Performance
Annual Payment• Established using conservation performance
estimated by Tool• Calculated by land-use type for enrolled eligible
land
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Payment for Conservation Performance
Supplemental Payment• Available to participant receiving an annual
payment who also adopts a resource-conserving crop rotation
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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
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Payment Limitations
Contract Limit
• Each contract limited to $200,000 over the term of the initial contract period
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CSP Summary
• Continuous Sign-Up Underway• First Cutoff Date - September 30 • Potential Applicants Begin With Producer
Self-Screening Checklist
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.