Your Stewardship Goals. Our Assistance.
(en Español)
The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is a voluntary program that helps farmers build on conservation efforts while strengthening operations. Whether you are looking to improve grazing conditions, increase crop yields, or develop wildlife habitat, we can custom design a CSP plan to help you meet those goals. We can help you schedule timely planting of cover crops, develop a grazing plan that will improve your forage base, implement no-till to reduce erosion or manage forested areas in a way that benefits wildlife habitat. If you are already taking steps to improve the condition of your land, CSP can help you find new ways to meet your goals.
CSP is for working lands. It is the largest conservation program in the United States with 70 million acres of productive agricultural and forest land enrolled in CSP. Thousands of people that have made the choice to voluntarily enroll in the program because it helps them enhance natural resources and improve their business operation.
NRCS Caribbean Area Announces the CSP Sign-up Deadline for FY 2017 funding is February 3, 2017!
Most agriculture producers that participate in CSP have already been implementing conservation practices on their land. CSP offers enhancements for those practices. For example, if you have been practicing prescribed grazing, CSP may give you options to enhance that practice with activities such as grazing management to improve plants for wildlife, or grazing management to reduce soil compaction, or grazing management to improve riparian function.
Natural Resource Concerns
- Soil Erosion
- Soil Quality Degradation
- Excess Water
- Insufficient Water
- Water Quality Degradation
- Air Quality Impacts
- Degraded Plant Condition
- Inadequate Fish & Wildlife Habitat
- Livestock Production Limitations
- Inefficient Energy Use
Eligibility
CSP eligible land includes:
- Private agricultural land (cropland, pastureland, and rangeland)
- Nonindustrial private forest land (NIPF)
- Associated Agricultural Land
- Farmstead
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Benefits
Through CSP, we can help build your business while implementing conservation practices that help ensure the sustainability of your entire operation. Good land stewardship not only conserves the natural resources on your farm, it also provides multiple benefits to local communities, including better water and air quality and wildlife habitat, as well as healthy food.
- Improved grazing conditions and livestock yields
- Increased crop yields
- Decreased inputs
- Wildlife habitat improvements
- Improved climate change resilience
Contract payments are based on two components:
- Payments to maintain the existing conservation based on the operation type and number of resource concerns that are meeting the stewardship level at the time of application and
- Payments to implement additional conservation activities.
All CSP contracts will have a minimum annual payment of $1,500.
Enhancements
CSP Enhancements are management activities that go above and beyond the minimum conservation practice standard requirements helping the producer achieve a higher level of conservation.
Click on any of the land use images below to view the CSP Enhancements.
Documents & Information
Contact
José A. Castro, Assistant State Conservationist for Programs, 787-281-4962 or 787-501-6144, or your local NRCS Field Office.
