The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)

What is CSP?
The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is a comprehensive working lands program available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). CSP rewards producers for practices and systems that protect the environment and natural resources. The program targets practices that conserve or improve soil, water, air, energy, biodiversity, and wildlife habitat. Through CSP, producers receive technical and financial assistance for maintaining existing conservation measures and for adopting additional conservation practices. The NRCS will will award five-year CSP contracts to qualifying producers for up to $200,000. Enrollment for the program is nationwide and continuous.

Benefits for Organic Farmers
CSP rewards producers for the conservation benefits of their existing organic farming and ranching systems. Organic practices are among the many conservation activities CSP targets. Some of these include organic cropping and livestock systems, establishment of pollinator habitat, conservation tillages, resource conserving crop rotations, rotational grazing, and continuous cover cropping. Practices that sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse gasses are also rewarded. In addition, the 2008 Farm Bill requires NRCS to provide technical assistance specific to organic producers.

• How to Sign up for CSP
• Frequently Asked Questions About CSP
• Organizations Assisting Farmers Applying to Conservation Programs
• Useful Resources for Farmers

If you have any questions, contact Tracy Lerman, Policy Organizer at (831) 426-6606 x 108 or tracy@ofrf.org.

How to Sign up for CSP

(Note - sign-up for the 2010 CSP is now closed. We will update this page with new information about the 2010 application process and the 2011 sign-up as NRCS makes it available.)

1) Complete a producer self-screening checklist to see if CSP is right for you. This is an optional but strongly recommended step to help you determine if you meet the program's applicant eligibility, land eligibility, and stewardship threshold eligibility. You do not have to turn the checklist in to NRCS. You can download the checklist from the NRCS website.

2) Fill out a Contract Program Application in your local NRCS Service Center. This application is a simple 3 page form that asks you basic questions about your operation. You can download the form and supplemental information from the NRCS website.

3) Establish a record at the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) if you have not already done so. In order to apply for any USDA conservation program, you must be an operator in the FSA farm records management system. You can establish a record in the FSA system at your local FSA Service Center.

4) Review the list of CSP conservation activities to identify which activities you already engage in (and can be rewarded for), which ones you can install to improve your farm's conservation, and which ones you currently engage in that you can enhance. In order to be eligible for enrollment in CSP, applicants must already be addressing at least one priority resource concern at the established stewardship threshold level at the time of application. Also, applicants must agree to adopt or install additional conservation activities during the contract period and address at least one more priority resource consern at the stewardship threshold level during the 5-year contract period.

NRCS has a list of all the conservation activies it rewards as well as detailed job sheets for each conservation activity on the list.

5) Determine your ranking score by completing the Conservation Measurement Tool (CMT) at your local NRCS Service Center. Farmers who are eligible applicants for CSP must complete this tool, which will evaluate your existing conservation level and proposed additional improvements. Right now, the CMT can only be completed at your NRCS Service Center. However, the national NRCS website has downloadable worksheets with all the questions the CMT will ask you. Downloading and filling out these worksheets in advance will reduce the amount of time you spend filling out the CMT at your NRCS Service Center.

NRCS will rank applicants based on the ranking score the CMT gives them and will determine which applicants are eligible for enrollment over the summer. If your application is eligible for enrollment, NRCS will notify you.

6) NRCS field staff will conduct an on-site field verification for applicants eligible for enrollment. NRCS field visits verify that the information provided in your application is correct. Field visits will occur over the 2010 summer months.

6) Develop a contract with NRCS. Once your application is field-verified, you will work with NRCS field staff to develop a contract and a conservation stewardship plan. The conservation stewardship plan is the schedule of conservation activities to be implemented, managed, or improved during the contract's life.

For 2009 and 2010 CSP enrollees, implementation of your plan will begin in the fall of 2010, with the first CSP payment made in October of 2010 and subsequent payments made in October throughout the length of the contract.

Useful Resources for Farmers

Official NRCS Webpages for CSP
NEW! The Conservation Stewardship Program final rule

The NRCS Conservation Stewardship Program Information Page - the official program information page from the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The NRCS CSP Conservation Activity List - the list of activities that CSP rewards. Applicants can already be practicing these activities or list them as activities that they plan to implement on their operation.

Conservation Enhancement Activity Job Sheets - an index of downloadable job sheets for each conservation activity in the list above.

NRCS Correlation Chart for NOP Practices and CSP Conservation Activities - this information is subject to change so please check back.

Other Helpful Resources from OFRF and our Partners
UPDATED! A list of Frequently Asked Questions about CSP from the Organic Farming Research Foundation

NEW! Conservation Stewardship Program Fact Sheet from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

Accessing the New Conservation Stewardship Program - a comprehensive website with detailed information on CSP from the National Center for Appropriate Technology.

The Center for Rural Affairs Farm Bill Helpline - call 402-687-2100 and ask for the Farm Bill Helpline.

USDA Update on the New Conservation Stewardship Program - a webinar interview with NRCS Chief Dave White and NRCS staff and power point presentation about CSP.

OFRF Policy Staff interviews NRCS Chief Dave White about CSP - read the full article and listen to audio clips.

OFRF Podcast on CSP - OFRF Senior Policy Analyst Mark Lipson talks about CSP and the benefits to organic growers.

Page updated August 31, 2010.