The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced it is seeking public comments on its interim final rule for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). The program is designed to help farmers have more robust conservation activities. The rule, which is now on the Federal Register, takes effect upon publication and includes changes to the program prescribed by the 2018 farm bill.
As a part of implementing the 2018 farm bill, NRCS has streamlined CSP by basing contracts on funds instead of acres, bringing it in line with the agency’s other large conservation program, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Plus, NRCS is aligning CSP with EQIP through common applications, contracting operations, conservation planning, conservation practices and related administrative procedures.
The interim final rule becomes effective upon publication in the Federal Register. NRCS invites comments on this interim rule through Jan. 13, 2020. Electronic comments must be submitted through regulations.gov under Docket ID NRCS-2019-0020. All written comments received will be publicly available on http://www.regulations.gov.
For more information on how to sign up for CSP, visit your local NRCS field office.