Conservation Stewardship Program Deadline Extended to Jan. 27

Minnesota Farmers Encouraged to Submit Applications to NRCS for First Ranking Period of 2012

CONTACT: Adam Warthesen, LSP, 612-722-6377; adamw@landstewardshipproject.org

12/19/11
The deadline for applying to enroll in the current round of the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) has been extended by two weeks to Jan. 27. Through CSP, the USDA makes payments to producers who maintain a high level of conservation on working land and who agree to adopt additional levels of stewardship.

To be eligible for the 2012 ranking and the current round of contracts, farmers must complete the preliminary application process by Jan. 27. To begin the CSP application process, farmers should contact their local Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office. Following the initial application, farmers will complete a farm assessment with NRCS staff.

CSP is being offered in all 50 states through a continuous sign-up. Minnesota farmers’ use of the program has consistently placed the state in the top ranking nationally in terms of CSP contracts and funding awarded. According to USDA data, 2,342 CSP contracts have supported conservation measures on almost 1.5 million acres in Minnesota since 2009. Resource conserving crop rotations, managed rotational grazing, conservation tillage and wildlife habitat protection and establishment are just a few of the measures supported through CSP.

Payments to farmers for CSP vary depending on total acres enrolled, land classification, conservation achieved and conservation to be attained by the end of the five-year contract. The average Minnesota agriculture land contract in 2011 was $25,651 over a five-year period.

“It doesn’t have to be a choice between being a working, productive farm and con­servation,” said CSP contract recipient Arvid Jovaag, a diversified crop and livestock farmer from near Austin, Minn. “Programs like CSP can help farmers strike a balance between profits and sustainability.”

CSP is applicable for working lands which include cropland, pastureland, rangeland and non-industrial forestland.

For more information on CSP go to:

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