CSP Signup Begins Today

Farmers can enroll in the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) from Nov. 14 through Feb. 3 at local USDA Service Center offices. 

Farmers interested in CSP can find information here. The one-stop shop, which provides information to help farmers determine whether CSP is right for them, will be continually updated as more information becomes available. 

The program includes nearly double the enhancements and conservation practices offered and better reporting tools to tell producers the results of conservation efforts on their land.

“Recently, because of input from producers and employees across the country, we found a need to modify the program,” said Leonard Jordan, an associate chief with USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). “We wanted to make the program simpler, with greater flexibility. For instance, in the past, if farmers were trying to make a certain adjustment and it wasn’t written in their existing contract, it tied their hands, so we have now modified it with greater flexibility.”

Through CSP, farmers and forest landowners earn payments for actively managing, maintaining and expanding conservation activities like cover crops, ecologically-based pest management, buffer strips and pollinator and beneficial insect habitat – all while maintaining active agriculture production on their land.

CSP also encourages adoption of cutting-edge technologies and new management techniques, such as precision agriculture applications, on-site carbon storage, planting for high carbon sequestration rate and new soil amendments to improve water quality.