Conservation Security Program (CSP)

CSP Rewards Land Stewards

• CSP recognizes the contributions of the best land stewards and encourages them to do more. The program is based on conservation accomplishments. It is not an alternative way to provide income to producers.
• USDA is committed to the vision of CSP as a nationwide conservation program. 
• While there are outstanding producers in many watersheds, NRCS has to make some tough choices to allocate the available financial resources.

Watershed Selection Criteria

There are several criteria for selecting watersheds to participate. Initial requirements for watersheds were:

• A wide variety of land uses (crops, rangeland, pasture, vineyards/orchards) and input intensities.
• High-priority resource issues to be addressed, including issues that meet state priorities.
• A history of good land stewardship on the part of landowners.
• The availability of the technical tools necessary – such as digitized soils information – to streamline program implementation.

Landowner Participation

• Each participant will be chosen based on a self-assessment of their agricultural operation. The workbook for the self-assessment is on the web at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/csp/
• Other landowners can act now to make their operations more competitive for later sign-ups. Steps include – doing the self assessment, developing a conservation plan, and implementing the appropriate conservation measures.

Why the Watershed Approach

• Watersheds are nature’s boundaries. They are a common sense way to group together producers working in related environmental areas.  
• Implementing CSP on a watershed basis allows NRCS to measure environmental success in a way that State or county lines couldn’t be expected to do.
•  Since everyone lives in a watershed, as we rotate through the nation’s watersheds every farmer and rancher will get a chance to participate.
• The watershed approach will allow NRCS staff and private technical service providers to more thoroughly assist landowners who apply during the initial CSP sign-up.
•  NRCS can also help landowners in other watersheds assess their resources and prepare for future participation in the program.