Technical Service Providers
Ohio's Technical Service Provider (TSP)
program is intended to help professionals interested in
providing technical assistance to landowners and farmers participating in USDA
Farm Bill conservation programs and to help landowners find
these certified Technical Service Providers.
The CNMP Development Course is being offered in coordination with Iowa State
University and the Natural Resource Conservation Service. The CNMP Development
Course provides the educational component of the ISU TSP CNMP certification
program. This three-day short course is designed to train individuals in the
development of Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans (CNMPs).
The training will provide 22 professional development hours for professional
engineers. 18 hours of CCA continuing education in the area of Nutrient
Management and Soil and Water have been applied for. The course can also be used
to provide 22 hours of update training for current Technical Service Providers.
Publications
These documents require
Adobe Acrobat
 Using
a Technical Service Provider - Producer Options for Technical Assistance - March 2005
(PDF; 2.8 MB)
Technical
Service Providers - Expanding Conservation Technical Assistance Capacity on
Private Lands - September 2004 (PDF: 243 KB)
Technical
Service Provider Assistance; Final Rule - November 29, 2004 (PDF; 179 KB)
This document requires
Microsoft Word
Performance
Results System Data Entry Worksheet (DOC; 43 mb)
How to Become a Technical Service Provider (TSP)
TechReg is the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
Technical Service Provider Registry. Those interested in becoming certified
Technical Service Providers or those interested in locating a certified
Technical Service Provider will find the necessary information to do so on the
TechReg website.
The premise behind the TSP process is that the demand for technical
assistance to do conservation work is increasing and will exceed the current
staffing capacity of the NRCS. Technical assistance includes conservation
planning and design, layout, installation and checkout of approved conservation
practices. NRCS has traditionally provided these technical services and will
continue to do so. What is new is that USDA will now reimburse producers for
technical services provided by a USDA certified TSP.
If you are interested in becoming a TSP, check out the TechReg-Step
by Step Guide on the TechReg
website.
 To register as a Technical Service Provider you must have a USDA
e-Government account (user ID and Password). Reporting technical services
provided also requires an e-Government account. All other features of TechReg
are accessible without a user ID and password. NRCS is also working in
partnership with professional organizations to facilitate the certifications of TSP's. A listing of these organizations can be found on the
TechReg website under the title
"Recommending Organizations" in the Online Resources section.
As stated above, a potential TSP that does not have a USDA e-Government
account must first register for a Level 2 e-Authentication account. To do that,
go to the TechReg home page and click on
“Apply Online” in the Technical Service Providers section. A dialog box for
"First-Time TechReg Users" will open. This box provides instructions on
how to set up your user account and password and provides a link to the
e-Authentication site where you will be able to register for a Level 2
e-Government account. After registering you must verify your identity in person
at your local
USDA Service Center and have the Service Center link your web account to a
SCIMS (Service Center Information Management System) customer record. A Service
Center employee will verify your identity and enter your information into the
Service Center records. A driver’s license or passport will be needed for
identification. Once this is done you will receive an email message stating that your
account is ready for use with TechReg and you will be able to log-in using the
user ID and password you created. You will then be able to go into the TechReg
site and interact regarding TSP and other USDA business.
Why Become a Certified Technical Service Provider?
Certification is required to be reimbursed for technical services provided to
landowners and farmers under the 2002 Farm Bill conservation programs. NRCS
staff, partner agencies, non-profit organizations, private
contractors, and businesses may be certified to provide technical assistance
through NRCS. Different tasks require different certifications. TSP's can only
provide services for which they have been specifically certified by NRCS in
TechReg.
Ohio's CNMP Certification Process
Training
It is not the responsibility of NRCS to provide training for TSP’s. However,
NRCS has agreements with several organizations to streamline the certification
and training process. Prospective TSP’s can work with one or more of these
organizations to meet the qualifications for certification in specific areas of
expertise. These organizations include:
- American Society of Agronomy
- Environmental Management Solutions, LLC
- National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants
- Society of American Foresters
- Society of Range Management
- The Irrigation Association
- The Wildlife Society
- University of Tennessee
TSP’s are required to obtain all necessary training at their own expense.
Additional training and online courses are offered through the
National Employee Development Center
(NEDC).
NRCS-Ohio recognizes the following programs for CNMP certification:
Prospective TSP’s should check the TechReg
website for a complete listing of organizations approved for certification
assistance.
Statements of Work
The Statement of Work is a document that details what is necessary to complete the technical
services for program participants.
For example, if the "Grassed Waterway- 412" practice is to be completed, the
Statement of Work will detail exactly what is expected of the TSP to
satisfactorily complete the required technical services for each component
(design, installation and checkout) of the practice.
Each Statement of Work provides information about how to complete a practice
and has specific information about "deliverables" for each component which are
required to meet NRCS-Ohio Standards and Specifications. The
"deliverables" are the technical services required for each practice
for which a client hires a TSP to provide.
How to Access the Statements of Work on the e-FOTG website:
- Go to
NRCS-Ohio's e-FOTG website
- Select the Ohio county where the project is located
- On the Main Menu on the left side of the opening screen, select Section IV of the e-FOTG,
then select Sub-section A - Conservation Practices
- Select (highlight) a conservation practice
- Below the name of the highlighted conservation practice will be a
selection which repeats the selected conservation practice name along with the
words "Statement of Work"
- Select the "Statement of Work" for the selected conservation practice.
Qualifications for Ohio TSP Certifications
In TechReg, you will find 44 different
TSP certification categories and the criteria for each. You only need to meet
the criteria for one option group to satisfy the certification requirements for
a category.
Basic NRCS Resources for Technical Service Providers
| e-FOTG |
The Electronic Field Office Technical Guide (e-FOTG)
is the resource for all Conservation Practice Standards and Specifications.
Contact your local
USDA Service Center for assistance with portions that have not
been published to the
e-FOTG website. |
| Technical References |
Though much of the information needed to design and apply
conservation practices is provided in the Electronic Field Office Technical
Guide (e-FOTG), some may not be. Ohio's
Technical References web
page provides additional information not found in the e-FOTG. |
| Program Information |
Program requirements are not found in the e-FOTG.
In the
Programs section you will find the program requirements, forms, and
other information needed by a Technical Service Provider in advising
landowners and farmers. To sign up for these programs, farmers and landowners
should contact their
local
USDA Service Center. |
State TSP Coordinators
Mike Monnin
State Conservation Engineer
NRCS
200 N. High St., Rm. 522
Columbus, OH 43215
PH: (614) 255-2488
| 
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