Conservation Stewardship Program
Program Description
Through CSP, NRCS will provide financial and technical assistance to eligible producers to conserve and enhance soil, water, air, and related natural resources on their land. Eligible lands include cropland, grassland, prairie land, improved pastureland, rangeland, nonindustrial private forest lands, agricultural land under the jurisdiction of an Indian tribe, and other private agricultural land (including cropped woodland, marshes, and agricultural land used for the production of livestock) on which resource concerns related to agricultural production could be addressed. Participation in the program is voluntary.
CSP encourages land stewards to improve their conservation performance by installing and adopting additional activities, and improving, maintaining, and managing existing activities on agricultural land and nonindustrial private forest land. The NRCS will make CSP available nationwide on a continuous application basis.
CSP will focus program impacts on natural resources that are of specific concern for a State, or the specific geographic areas within a State. Applications will be evaluated relative to other applications addressing similar priority resource concerns to facilitate a competitive ranking process among applicants within a State who face similar resource challenges.
Are You Eligible for CSP?
Operations Baseline Data Questions
To initiate the use of the Conservation Measurement Tool (CMT) during the CSP application process, you'll work with NRCS field personnel to define your Operation Baseline Data. The CMT will use this data, in part, to determine the conservation performance for existing and additional conservation activities.
The documents below are copies of the Operation Baseline Data questions, grouped by land use. You can download and review the questions, and begin drafting responses to start the process before you meet with your local NRCS office.
Conservation Measurement Tools (CMT)
2013 Period CMT Scoring Process
Please complete these forms and bring them with you to your local NRCS office.
2013 Ranking Period Conservation Program Activity List and Job Sheets
Download the Conservation Program Activity List to identify new activities you may be interested in to install or adopt.
Please note: In Kentucky, only CCR99 Resource-Conserving Crop Rotation will be considered as a Special Project under the Conservation Activity List.
If you have any questions, please contact your local NRCS office.
An "Enhancement" is a conservation activity used to treat natural resources and greatly improve conservation performance.
Enhancements are installed at a level of management intensity which exceeds the sustainable level for a given resource concern.
Enhancements directly related to a practice standard are applied in a manner that exceeds the minimum treatment requirements of the standard.
A "Bundle" is a group of specific enhancements which when installed as a group, addresses resource concerns synergetically.
Kentucky State Specific Enhancement Criteria
Fact Sheet
Kentucky Brochure and Poster
For More Information:
Please visit the National NRCS Conservation Stewardship Program Web page
Local Assistance: Contact NRCS at your local USDA Service Center.
State Contact:
Kate Little, Acting Assistant State Conservationist for Programs
Phone: 859-224-7458
