About CSP
The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) helps you build on your existing conservation efforts while strengthening your operation. We can help you identify natural resource problems in your operation and provide technical and financial assistance to solve those problems or attain higher stewardship levels in an environmentally beneficial and cost-effective manner.
Most CSP applicants have already been applying conservation practices to their land. Conservation practice standards are found in Section IV of the NRCS Field Office Technical Guide. Through CSP, producers have the opportunity to further improve their conservation efforts with conservation activities called “enhancements.” Possible enhancements include:
• Scheduling timely planting of cover crops,
• Developing a grazing plan,
• Implementing no-till to reduce erosion,
• Managing forested areas to benefit wildlife habitat.
Learn more about CSP.
Is CSP Right for Me? fact sheet (PDF; 933 KB)
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
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.
Application
If you're ready to take your conservation efforts to the next level, contact your local Service Center for help. CSP Applications are accepted on a continual basis. However, NRCS establishes application ranking dates for evaluation, ranking and approval of eligible applications. NRCS in Montana is accepting CSP applications through October 29, 2021, for the current funding cycle. Applications received after the ranking date will be automatically deferred to the next funding period. Applicants must ensure they meet all eligibility requirements, including land eligibility, by the ranking date.
Additionally, existing CSP participants may have an opportunity to renew their contracts in the first half of the fifth year of their five-year contract through a competitive application process.
For more information on the application process, visit the Apply for CSP webpage.
State and National Priorities
Montana Priorities
- 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
National Priorities
- Reductions of nonpoint source pollution, such as nutrients, sediment, pesticides, or excess salinity in impaired watersheds consistent with total maximum daily loads (TMDL) where available; the reduction of surface and groundwater contamination; and the reduction of contamination from agricultural sources, such as animal feeding operations;
- Conservation of ground and surface water resources;
- Reduction of emissions, such as particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, and ozone precursors and depleters that contribute to air quality impairment violations of National Ambient Air Quality Standards;
- Reduction in soil erosion and sedimentation from unacceptable levels on agricultural land;
- Promotion of at-risk species habitat conservation including development and improvement of wildlife habitat; and
- Energy conservation to help save fuel, improve efficiency of water use, maintain production, and protect soil and water resources by more efficiently using fertilizers and pesticides.
Screening and 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.
Eligibility
To be eligible to apply, farm records must be current with the Farm Service Agency for the individual and the land. Farm records must show the applicant:
Eligible producers and forest managers include agricultural producers, owners of non-industrial private forestland, Indian Tribes, those with an interest in agricultural or forestry operation.
Eligible land includes cropland and hayland, rangeland, pastureland, non-industrial private forestland, other farm or ranch lands, environmentally sensitive areas.
Stewardship Threshold Eligibility
NRCS will use the Conservation Assessment Ranking Tool (CART) to determine whether or not the applicant is addressing resource concerns in order to meet the stewardship eligibility requirement. An applicant’s conservation activities must meet or exceed the stewardship threshold for the following
- At least two resource concerns at the time of contract offer on all land uses.
- At least one additional resource concern by the end of the conservation stewardship contract on at least one land use.
- Renewal applicants must meet or exceed two additional PRCs or implement new or improve existing conservation activities to achieve higher levels of conservations performance for a minimum of two priority resource concerns met or exceeded in the initial contract.
CSP Enhancements
Not all national enhancements are available in Montana. See the following activity lists 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.
Enhancements and Activity Lists for FY2022 Renewals:
The following FY2021 Activity Lists apply to FY2022 renewals:
Enhancements and Activity Lists for FY2022 Classic Signups:
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 means a crop that is one of the following:
- A perennial grass;
- A legume grown for use as a cover crop, forage, seed for planting, or green manure;
- A legume-grass or diverse grass-forb mixture comprised of species selected for climate, rainfall, soil, and other region-specific conditions; or
- A small grain or other resource-demanding crop grown in combination with a grass, legume, other forbs, or grass-forb mixture, whether interseeded, relay-planted into the resource-demanding crop, or planted in rotation.
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.
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
