Conservation Stewardship Program | NRCS Montana
USDA Logo

Natural Resources Conservation Service

Montana


United States Department of Agriculture
  •  
  • Topics
    • Technical Resources
      • Conservation Planning
      • Data, Maps, & Analysis
      • Ecological Science
      • Engineering
      • Land Use
      • State Technical Committee
    • Soils
      • Soil Health
      • Soil Surveys
    • Water
      • Water Resources
    • Snow Survey
      • Snow Survey Products
    • Air
      • Air Quality
    • Plants & Animals
    • Energy
    • People
      • Partners
      • Teachers and Students
      • Volunteers
      • NRCS Employees
      • Community Agriculture
  • Programs
    • Farm Bill
    • Financial Assistance
    • Easements
    • Landscape Initiatives
    • Landscape Planning
    • Montana Focused Conservation
  • Newsroom
    • News Releases
    • Events & Deadlines
    • Photos and Videos
    • Public Notices
    • Publications & Fact Sheets
    • Success Stories
  • Contact Us
    • Local Service Centers
    • State Office
    • Feedback Forms
  •  
 
  • About Us
  •   |  
  • National Centers
  •   |  
  • State Websites
  • Browse By Audience
  •   |  
  • A-Z Index
  •   |  
  • Help

You are Here: 

Home / 

Programs / 

Financial Assistance / 

Conservation Stewardship Program

Stay Connected USDA In Facebook NRCS In Twitter NRCS In Youtube NRCS In Mail USDA In Flicker
Z6_30DC1140N83C50ABLBMIOD10R1
{}
Z7_30DC1140N83C50ABLBMIOD1072

Web Content Viewer

Component Action Menu
  • ${title}
${loading}
Actions

Loading Tree...

  • Programs

    • Farm Bill
      • Conservation Compliance
    • Financial Assistance
      • Conservation Innovation Grants
        • CIG Project Search
      • Conservation Stewardship Program
      • Environmental Quality Incentives Program
      • Regional Conservation Partnership Program
    • Easements
      • Agricultural Conservation Easement Program
      • Healthy Forests Reserve Program
    • Landscape Initiatives
    • Landscape Planning
      • Emergency Watershed Protection Program
      • Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Program
      • Watershed Rehabilitation
    • Montana Focused Conservation

CSP Related Links

  • Manage Your Conservation Activities
  • Montana Payment Schedules
  • Conservation Compliance

Conservation Stewardship Program

Conservation Stewardship Program

Change to Conservation Stewardship Program Allows Re-enrollment without Two-Year Waiting Period. Learn more.

NRCS in Montana is accepting applications through October 29, 2021, for the current funding cycle. Read the news release.

Program application dates for all states.

CSP for Wheat Growers (PDF; 1.7 MB)
CSP for Crop Growers (PDF; 1.9 MB)
CSP for Organic Producers (PDF; 2.3 MB)
CSP for Livestock (PDF; 2.2 MB)
CSP for Forestry (PDF; 2.2 MB)
CSP for Soil Health (PDF; 2.4 MB)
CSP for Wildlife (PDF; 2.4 MB)
CSP on the NRCS National Web site

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
  1. Degraded Plant Condition
  2. Field Sediment, Nutrient and Pathogen Loss
  3. Fire Management
  4. Livestock Production Limitations
  5. Pest Pressure
  6. Soil Quality Limitations
  7. Terrestrial Habitat (Fish and Wildlife – Inadequate Habitat)
  8. Wind and Water Erosion
National Priorities
  1. 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;
  2. Conservation of ground and surface water resources;
  3. 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;
  4. Reduction in soil erosion and sedimentation from unacceptable levels on agricultural land;
  5. Promotion of at-risk species habitat conservation including development and improvement of wildlife habitat; and
  6. 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.

  • FY2022 NRCS Montana CSP Application Screening and Eligibility Tool (PDF; 346 KB)
  • FY2022 NRCS Montana CSP Classic Application Ranking Questions (PDF; 238 KB)

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:

  • Controls or owns eligible land;
  • Meets adjusted gross income (AGI) and payment limitation provisions;
  • Is in compliance with highly erodible land (HEL) and wetland conservation requirements.

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:

  • Activity List for Montana FY2021 Bundles (PDF; 128 KB)
  • Activity List for Montana FY2021 Enhancements (PDF; 353 KB)
  • Activity List for Montana FY2021 Practices (PDF; 89 KB)
  • FY2021 CSP Enhancements and Bundles for Montana
  • FY2021 National CSP Enhancements and Bundles
  • Advanced Grazing Management Supplemental Payment (PDF; 413 KB)

Enhancements and Activity Lists for FY2022 Classic Signups:

  • Activity List for Montana FY2022 Bundles (PDF; 431 KB)
  • Activity List for Montana FY2022 Enhancements (PDF; 904 KB)
  • Activity List for Montana FY2022 Practices (PDF; 175 KB)
  • FY2022 CSP Enhancements and Bundles for Montana
  • FY2022 National CSP Enhancements and Bundles
  • Advanced Grazing Management Supplemental Payment (PDF; 413 KB) 

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:

  1. A perennial grass;
  2. A legume grown for use as a cover crop, forage, seed for planting, or green manure;
  3. A legume-grass or diverse grass-forb mixture comprised of species selected for climate, rainfall, soil, and other region-specific conditions; or
  4. 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

  • Montana Ranchers Shift Management Paradigm, Discover Benefits of Healthy Soil (September 2019)
  • Changing Farming Practices Improves Soil Health in the Broadview Basin (September 2019)

Prior-Year CSP Montana Archives

  • 2021 Conservation Stewardship Program Archival Purposes Only

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

NRCS Home | USDA.gov | Site Map | Civil Rights | FOIA | Plain Writing | Accessibility Statement

Policy and Links | Non-Discrimination Statement | Information Quality | USA.gov | Whitehouse.gov

Complementary Content
  • ${title}${badge}
${loading}