Conservation Stewardship Program
There are 5 CSP participants in Ulster County enrolling 1,013 acres with contracts totaling $217,600 to reward good stewardship.
What is it?
The Conservation Stewardship
Program (CSP) is a new voluntary conservation program that encourages
agricultural and forestry producers to maintain existing conservation activities
and adopt additional ones on their operations. CSP provides opportunities to
both recognize excellent stewards and deliver valuable new conservation.
How do you know if you
qualify?
CSP is available on Indian and
private agricultural lands, as well as nonindustrial private forest lands in all
counties in New York. Eligible land uses include cropland, hayland,
pastureland, and forestland. Individual producers, legal entities, corporations,
and Indian Tribes may be eligible for the program. Applicants must be the
operator of record in the USDA farm records management system and have
documented control of the land for the 5 year term of the CSP contract.
Applicants must demonstrate that their agricultural or forestry management
practices meet minimum stewardship requirements of the program, and be willing
to implement additional stewardship activities in the future.
What are the
benefits?
CSP provides participants with
an annual payment for installing new conservation activities and maintaining
existing activities. Contracts are 5-years in length. For all contracts, CSP
payments to a person or legal entity may not exceed $40,000 in any year and
$200,000 during any 5-year period.
How do you get
involved?
You must complete a CPA-1200
application form at the NRCS office in your local USDA Service Center. Sign-up
for the program is continuous. Producers interested in CSP are encouraged to
begin the application process by completing a producer self-screening checklist
which is available at an NRCS office or online at the link listed below. The
self-screening checklist helps potential applicants decide for themselves
whether CSP is the right program for them. If you decide to apply, you will
schedule a time to meet with an NRCS employee for an interview. At that time
you will be asked a number of questions regarding the management of your
agricultural or forestry operation. This information will be used to determine
your eligibility for the program, identify any new conservation activities you
want to apply, rank your application, and establish payment levels. For highly
ranked applicants, NRCS will conduct an on-site field verification to ensure
that information provided by the applicant during the interview was accurate
prior to contract approval. Applicants will be required to provide records to
verify their conservation activities. Once information is verified, NRCS and the
applicant proceed to develop a contract.
Where can you get more information?
For more information on CSP, visit your local USDA Service Center at 652 Rte 299, Highland, NY 845-883-7162 X 5 or go online at:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/new_csp or www.ny.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/