The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) helps build on existing conservation efforts while strengthening ag operations. Whether you are looking to improve grazing conditions, increases crop yields, or develop wildlife habitat, we can custom design a CSP plan to help you meet those goals.
Colorado Priority Resource Concerns
Ag Land
- Degraded Plant Condition
- Field Sediment, Nutrient and Pathogen Loss
- Field Pesticide Loss
- Livestock Production Limitations
- Soil Quality Limitations
- Source Water Depletion
- Pest Management
- Wind & Water Erosion
Non-Industrial Private Forests (NIPF)
- Wind and Water Erosion
- Degraded Plant Condition
- Fire Management
- Pest Pressure
- Soil Quality Limitations
- Source Water Depletion
- Terrestrial Habitat
- Weather Resilience
Eligibility
Agricultural producers and owners of non-industrial private forestland and Tribes are eligible to apply for CSP. Eligible land includes cropland, rangeland, pastureland, non-industrial private forestland and other farm or ranch lands.
Applicants must:
- Control or own eligible land
- Comply with adjusted gross income (AGI) limitation provisions
- Be in compliance with the highly erodible land and wetland conservation requirements
- Develop an NRCS CSP plan of operations
*Additional restrictions and program requirements may apply.
Participant Responsibilities
Applicants are responsible for completing and filing all application and eligibility paperwork as required. If funded, participants are required to sign a contract and agree to implement the planned conservation practices to NRCS standards and specifications and/ or enhancements to NRCS job sheets as scheduled. Starting a practice and/or enhancement prior to having written contract approval will result in the ineligibility of that practice from CSP assistance unless a waiver has been approved.
Colorado Practice Payment Schedule
- NRCS provides financial assistance for selected conservation practices. The availability and amount of financial assistance can vary between states.
FY24 NRCS Colorado CSP Fund Pools
Colorado CSP Funding Opportunities
- NRCS Area 1 Ag Land
- NRCS Area 2 Ag Land
- NRCS Area 3 Ag Land
- Beginning Farmers and Ranchers (BFR) Ag Land
- Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers (SDFR) Ag Land
- Lesser Prairie Chicken Initiative (LPCI)
- Sage Grouse Initiative (SGI) Greater Sage-Grouse
- Sage Grouse Initiative (SGI) Gunnison
- Organic/ Transitioning to Organic
- Urban/Small Scale
- Source Water
- Non-Industrial Private Forests
Eligible Land Uses (excluding NIPF funding)
- Crop
- Pasture
- Rangeland
- Farmstead
- Associated Ag Land
Eligible Land Uses for NIPF Funding
- Forest Land
- Farmstead
- Associated Ag Land
Del Olkjer Land and Cattle Company
"If it wasn’t for NRCS and their education, we may not be in the spot we are today. Every time I fall into a new piece of ground that needs some help I always call them first."
Ready to get started?
Contact your local service center to start your application.
How to Get Assistance
Do you farm or ranch and want to make improvements to the land that you own or lease?
Natural Resources Conservation Service offers technical and financial assistance to help farmers, ranchers and forest landowners.
To get started with NRCS, we recommend you stop by your local NRCS field office. We’ll discuss your vision for your land.
NRCS provides landowners with free technical assistance, or advice, for their land. Common technical assistance includes: resource assessment, practice design and resource monitoring. Your conservation planner will help you determine if financial assistance is right for you.
We’ll walk you through the application process. To get started on applying for financial assistance, we’ll work with you:
- To fill out an AD 1026, which ensures a conservation plan is in place before lands with highly erodible soils are farmed. It also ensures that identified wetland areas are protected.
- To meet other eligibility certifications.
Once complete, we’ll work with you on the application, or CPA 1200.
Applications for most programs are accepted on a continuous basis, but they’re considered for funding in different ranking periods. Be sure to ask your local NRCS district conservationist about the deadline for the ranking period to ensure you turn in your application in time.
As part of the application process, we’ll check to see if you are eligible. To do this, you’ll need to bring:
- An official tax ID (Social Security number or an employer ID)
- A property deed or lease agreement to show you have control of the property; and
- A farm number.
If you don’t have a farm number, you can get one from USDA’s Farm Service Agency. Typically, the local FSA office is located in the same building as the local NRCS office. You only need a farm number if you’re interested in financial assistance.
NRCS will take a look at the applications and rank them according to local resource concerns, the amount of conservation benefits the work will provide and the needs of applicants. View Application Ranking Dates by State.
If you’re selected, you can choose whether to sign the contract for the work to be done.
Once you sign the contract, you’ll be provided standards and specifications for completing the practice or practices, and then you will have a specified amount of time to implement. Once the work is implemented and inspected, you’ll be paid the rate of compensation for the work if it meets NRCS standards and specifications.