New Conservation Stewardship Program Premieres

MORGANTOWN, WV, September 4, 2009—Farmers pride themselves being good land stewards and USDA's newest program is designed to reward them for existing stewardship activities and to encourage more. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is taking applications for the new Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) on a continuous basis. All applications submitted by close of business September 30, 2009 will be ranked for the first funding cycle.

The CSP is a new program (the initials were also used for the discontinued Conservation Security Program). Congress renamed and revamped the former program by expanding its availability and appeal to agricultural and forestry producers as part of the 2008 Farm Bill.

"The requirement is that producers have to meet minimum levels of management for one resource concern and be willing to meet one additional priority resource concern within the five-year contract." said Kevin Wickey, West Virginia State Conservationist. Each state determines priority resource concerns. West Virginia is targeting water quality, soil quality, soil erosion, energy, and plants.

To begin the process, a farmer will complete a self-screening checklist to determine whether the new program is suitable for them. The form is available at http://www.wv.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/fb_08_FY_2009_Programs/csp_09/CSP_Producer_Self-Screening_Checklist.pdf. Farmers who feel they qualify for CSP need to submit a basic application expressing their interest by September 30, 2009.

After the application is submitted to the NRCS field office, the farmer will work with the conservationist to answer questions from the Conservation Measurement Tool (CMT) that produces a ranking score. If ranked high enough, NRCS personnel will visit the farm to conduct on-site field verifications of applicants' information obtained from the CMT. The end of the process is a conservation plan and program contract.

For information about the CSP, including eligibility requirements, producers can visit their local NRCS field office or http://www.wv.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/fb_08_FY_2009_Programs/csp_09/csp_09.html.

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