General Program Information
The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is a voluntary conservation program that encourages producers to address resource concerns in a comprehensive manner by undertaking additional conservation activities; and improving, maintaining, and managing existing conservation activities. CSP is available on Tribal and private agricultural lands and non-industrial private forest land in all 50 States and the Caribbean and Pacific Islands Areas. The program provides equitable access to all producers, regardless of operation size, crops produced, or geographic location.
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 with announced application cut-off dates for ranking periods.
The entire agricultural operation must be enrolled and must include all agricultural land that will be under the applicant's control for the term of the proposed contract that is operated substantially separate from other operations.
Minnesota Conservation Stewardship Program Geographic Regions
The State Conservationist, in consultation with the State Technical Committee and local work groups, 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.
For CSP, agricultural land (cropland and/or pastureland) compete separately from nonindustrial private forestland applications. Agricultural land applications are ranked and compete against other agricultural land applications within the same agricultural land geographic region. NIPF are ranked and compete against other NIPF applications within the same NIPF geographic region.
Agricultural Land Geographic Regions
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Agricultural Land Geographic Region
Priority Resource Concerns
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AG 1
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AG 2
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AG 3
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AG 4
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AG 5
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Plants
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Animals
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Animals
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Plants
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Animals
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Soil Erosion
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Plants
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Plants
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Soil Erosion
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Plants
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Soil Quality
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Soil Erosion
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Soil Erosion
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Soil Quality
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Soil Erosion
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Water Quality
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Soil Quality
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Soil Quality
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Water Quality
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Soil Quality
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Water Quantity
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Water Quality
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Water Quality
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Water Quantity
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Water Quality
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Nonindustrial Private Forest Land Geographic Regions
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Nonindustrial Private Forest Land Geographic Region Priority Resource Concerns
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NIPF 1
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NIPF 2
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NIPF 3
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Plants
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Animals
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Animals
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Soil Erosion
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Plants
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Plants
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Soil Quality
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Soil Erosion
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Soil Erosion
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Water Quality
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Soil Quality
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Soil Quality
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Water Quantity
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Water Quality
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Water Quality
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Application Information
Is CSP right for me?
You can play a large role in determining whether or not CSP is right for you. The CSP Producer Self-Screening Checklist can be used to assist in making your determination.
How to Apply
Applications for CSP are accepted by NRCS on a continuous basis throughout the year with periodic cutoff dates to evaluate, rank, and prioritize applicants. Below is the CSP Application Checklist and required forms to assist applicants with completing an application.
If you are eligible and interested in applying, contact the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office at the USDA Service Center for your county.
2012 Program Information
Archive Information
Other Resources
