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Conservation Security Program (CSP)
Program contact: Jayme
Arthurs, Program Specialist
Phone:(302) 678-4191
FAX: (302) 678-0843
DELAWARE FARMERS ENCOURAGED TO SIGN UP FOR CONSERVATION SECURITY PROGRAM
Farmers in parts of Kent and New Castle counties may be eligible for stewardship payments
Dover, DE, March 25, 2008—USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist
Russell Morgan today announced the 2008 Conservation Security Program (CSP) sign-up will be held
April 18 to May 16, 2008. CSP offers financial incentives to agricultural producers who are
practicing high standards of conservation on their operations as they address natural resource
concerns.
CSP will be available to 330 potentially eligible farms in the northern portion of the Broadkill
Smyrna Watershed, which includes parts of New Castle and Kent counties.
To meet basic eligibility requirements, producers must have addressed soil and water quality concerns
on part of their operation. However, applicants who practice conservation on their entire operation
and/or who provide wildlife habitat and additional environmental protections can qualify at a higher
level.
“We believe in what Delaware’s farmers can accomplish and believe that CSP is a worthwhile investment
for conserving and enhancing our natural resources,” said Morgan. “CSP provides producers with financial
incentives to move to the next level of natural resource conservation. The more conservation enhancements
applied to the land, the bigger the incentive.”
Since CSP was introduced in Delaware in 2005, four watersheds have been eligible. Delaware producers have
signed 73 CSP contracts, generating more than $4 million into Delaware for maintaining high levels of
conservation management on 41, 200 acres of private agricultural land.
To assess their current levels of conservation relative to program requirement, producers should review the
CSP self-assessment available at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/csp or in hard copy at USDA Service Centers.
A map of the eligible CSP watershed is also available online. To be eligible for CSP in Delaware, more than
50 percent of a producer's agricultural operation must fall within the boundaries of this watershed.
NRCS will hold CSP workshops in the near future to assist with the self-assessment and application process.
Once available, the meeting dates, times and locations will be posted to the Delaware NRCS website, www.de.nrcs.usda.gov. For additional information on CSP, contact your local NRCS office: in New Castle, call 302-832-3100 ext. 3; in Kent County, call 302-741-2600, ext. 3.
Approved 2005 Conservation Security Program Watersheds for Delaware
2005 Program Information
Approved 2006 Conservation Security Program Watersheds for Delaware
2006 Program Information
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