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Conservation Stewardship Program Eligibility - California

General Eligibility

CSP is available to all producers, regardless of operation size or type of crops produced, in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the Caribbean and Pacific Island areas.

  • Applicants may include individuals, legal entities, joint operations or Indian tribes that meet the stewardship threshold for at least two priority resource concerns when they apply.

  • The entire operation must be enrolled and must include all eligible land operated that will be under the applicant's control for the term of the proposed contract.

  • Applicants must agree to meet or exceed the stewardship threshold for at least one additional resource concern by the end of the contract.

  • To comply with the required stewardship prerequisites necessary to demonstrate that resource protection is already being addressed, applicants will need to provide documented verification of practices and/or improved management already being applied.

  • Additional restrictions and program requirements may apply.

 

Eligible Lands

  • Agricultural Land: Private or Tribal cropland, pastureland and rangeland and nonindustrial private forestland (NIPF).

  • Farmstead: Land used for facilities and supporting infrastructure where farming, forestry, animal husbandry, and ranching activities are often initiated. This may include dwellings, equipment storage, plus farm input and output storage and handling facilities. Also includes land dedicated to the facilitation and production of high-intensity animal agriculture in a containment facility where daily nutritional requirements are obtained from other lands or feed sources.

  • Associated Agriculture Lands (AAL): Land associated with farms and ranches that are not purposefully managed for food, forage, or fiber and are typically associated with nearby production or conservation lands. This could include incidental areas, such as idle center pivot corners, odd areas, ditches and watercourses, riparian areas, field edges, seasonal and permanent wetlands, and other similar areas. AAL must be associated with an agricultural or NIPF operation and cannot be enrolled on its own.

  • Public Land: Under the effective control of the applicant and a working component of the agricultural or NIPF operation.

 

Ineligible Lands

  • Private land currently enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program, or land enrolled in the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) –Wetland Reserve Easement option.

  • Note: Land enrolled in a Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) easement or an Agriculture Land Easement (ALE) may be eligible for enrollment.

 

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