The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) wants to remind landowners the current signup deadline for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is May 10. This signup is for new enrollments and contract extensions in fiscal year 2019.
The 2018 farm bill made several changes to this conservation program, which includes high ranking applications are now based on dollars rather than acres. Higher payment rates are also now available for certain conservation activities, including cover crops and resource conserving crop rotations. CSP also provides specific support for organic and for transitioning to organic production activities and a special grassland conservation initiative for certain producers who have maintained cropland base acres.
While applications are accepted throughout the year, interested producers should submit applications to their local NRCS office by May 10 to ensure their applications are considered for 2019 funding. For additional information about CSP, contact your local USDA service center.