Your Stewardship Goals. Our Assistance.
Have you ever looked across your property and thought about some land management goals you would like to take to the next level? Maybe we can help.
No one knows more about your land than you do, and no one knows more about conservation than we do. Together we can develop a plan tailored to your land and your goals to help you increase productivity and protect the value of your land.
How it Works
Our Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) helps you build on your existing conservation efforts while strengthening your operation. 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. We can help you schedule timely planting of cover crops, develop a grazing plan that will improve your forage base, implement no-till to reduce erosion or manage forested areas in a way that benefits wildlife habitat. If you are already taking steps to improve the condition of the land, chances are CSP can help you find new ways to meet your goal. Learn more about CSP.
Benefits
CSP is for working lands. It is the largest conservation program in the United States with 70 million acres of productive agricultural and forest land enrolled in CSP. Thousands of people have made the choice to voluntarily enroll in the program because it helps them enhance natural resources and improve their business operation.
Some of the benefits include:
- Improved cattle gains per acre
- Increased crop yields
- Decreased inputs
- Wildlife population improvements
- Better resilience to weather extremes
Application
If you're ready to take your conservation efforts to the next level, contact your local Service Center for help. Applications for CSP are accepted year round. Though signup is continuous, funding selections are made at specific times during the fiscal year. Applicants must ensure they meet all eligibility requirements, including land eligibility, by the signup deadline. For more information on the application process, visit the Apply for CSP webpage.
NRCS in Montana is accepting CSP applications through November 17, 2020, for the current funding cycle.
CSP Contracts and Payments
The program represents a genuine commitment to conservation. CSP contracts last five years, with the option to renew if you successfully fulfill the initial contract and agree to achieve additional conservation objectives. An NRCS conservation planner will work closely with you throughout the entire process.
Contract payments are made annually based on the following components:
- Existing activity payment - payment to maintain the existing conservation based on the land uses included in the operation and the number of resource concerns that are meeting the stewardship level at the time of application.
- Additional activity payment - payment to implement additional conservation activities.
- Supplemental payment - payment for adopting or improving a resource-conserving crop rotation or advanced grazing management (optional).
Payment rates are reviewed and set each fiscal year. See Montana Payment Schedules or learn more about contracts and payments on the national CSP Payments webpage.
Priority Resource Concerns for Montana
- Degraded Plant Condition
- Field Sediment, Nutrient and Pathogen Loss
- Fire Management
- Livestock Production Limitations
- Pest Pressure
- Soil Quality Limitations
- Terrestrial Habitat (Fish and Wildlife – Inadequate Habitat)
- Wind and Water Erosion
Montana Program Ranking Criteria
NRCS uses the Conservation Assessment Ranking Tool (CART) for all program ranking. The CART is a decision support system designed to provide a consistent, replicable framework for the conservation planning process based on geospatially referenced information, client provided information, field observations as appropriate, and planner expertise. CART is designed to assist NRCS conservation planners as they assess site vulnerability, existing conditions, and identify potential resource concerns on a unit of land. CART results are then used to support conservation planning activities for the client. CART also captures this information to prioritize programs and report outcomes of NRCS investments in conservation. Learn more about CART.
2021 CSP Enhancements
Not all national enhancements are available in Montana. See the activity list below for what is offered in Montana. Montana supplements provide state specific clarifying information, and are only issued if required. Producers are encouraged to install and adopt bundles of specific enhancements whose installation as a group improve conservation performance and address resource concerns in a more comprehensive and cost-effective manner.
Resource Conserving Crop Rotations for Montana
A resource conserving crop rotation (RCCR) is a rotation that includes at least one resource-conserving crop that reduces erosion, improves soil fertility and tilth, interrupts pest cycles, builds soil organic matter, reduces depletion of soil moisture or otherwise reduces the need for irrigation in applicable areas, and may provide protection and habitat for pollinators. A fallow crop field is not considered a “crop rotation.”
An improved resource conserving crop rotation (IRCCR) must enrich an existing RCCR by including an additional growing year for the perennial resource-conserving crop, substituting a perennial resource-conserving crop for a row crop, or changing a perennial legume to a perennial grass or grass/legume resource-conserving crop.
An RCCR for Montana can be either;
- The addition of a perennial to an annual crop rotation. The perennial can be a grass, legume, or grass-legume mix grown for a minimum of two consecutive years with at least one year of another crop in the rotation. The grass or legume must be grown for a minimum of two consecutive years but no more than 6 consecutive years; the total crop rotation length can be no more than 7 years. The RCCR enhancement is not eligible on land that currently is used for long term hay or pasture.
OR
- The addition of an annual legume green manure or a mixed species cover crop to an annual small grain rotation. Interseeding of green manure or mixed cover crop with the cash crop or seeding after harvest is allowed only under irrigated or high moisture conditions. No harvest or removal of the small grain residue or cover crops is allowed. Tillage cannot be used to terminate the green manure or mixed cover crop. However, termination via grazing is allowed when using an approved grazing plan which leaves adequate residue on the field.
Advanced Grazing Management (AGM)
AGM is the use of a combination of grazing conservation activities which may include management-intensive rotational grazing, that provide for improved soil health and carbon sequestration, drought resilience, wildlife habitat (including pollinator habitat), wildfire mitigation, control of invasive plants, and water quality improvement. The participant must adopt one of the three designated core prescribed grazing enhancements AND three designated supplemental enhancements from the AGM conservation activity guide sheet (PDF; 413 KB) to provide a resource management level approach.
Montana Success Stories
Prior-Year CSP Montana Archives
More Information
For more information and updates about CSP, please refer to the national NRCS CSP website. Further information and assistance is also available from your local Service Center or the following NRCS employees:
Contact
Ernie Haglund
CSP Specialist
Phone: 406-587-6945
Email: Ernest.Haglund
