Contact:
Andrea Horsman, CSP Program Specialist
Saint Paul April 9 – The next deadline for Conservation Stewardship Program applications to be considered for screening and possibly ranked to compete for FY20 funding is Friday, May 29, 2020. Through CSP, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service helps farmers, ranchers and forest land producers earn payments for enhancing conservation while addressing agricultural production needs on their land. CSP encourages adoption of new technologies and management techniques in addition to their existing conservation activities.
“CSP can be an effective tool to provide financial assistance to agricultural producers who want to enhance conservation work on their operation and potentially improve their bottom line,” said Troy Daniell, NRCS state conservationist in Minnesota. “It has been a popular program in Minnesota and we continue to see a strong interest.”
The 2018 Farm Bill makes some new improvements to the CSP program. These updates include:
- NRCS is now able to fund eligible, high-ranking applications based on dollars rather than acres.
- CSP now provides increased opportunities for organic and transitioning to organic production activities.
While applications are accepted throughout the year, interested producers should submit applications to their local NRCS office before May 29, 2020 to ensure their applications are able to be screened for this year’s funding.
About the Program
CSP is offered in Minnesota through continuous signups. The program provides many potential benefits including increased productivity, decreased inputs, and increased resilience to weather extremes. CSP is for working lands including cropland, pastureland, rangeland, farmsteads, and nonindustrial private forest land including lands under tribal nations jurisdiction.
For additional information about CSP, contact your local service center. USDA Service Centers are open for business by appointment only at this time. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with NRCS will need to call their local office to schedule an appointment. More information can be found at farmers.gov.
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