The application deadline for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is March 26 for the fiscal year 2021. Through CSP, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) helps agricultural producers and forest landowners earn payments for expanding conservation activities while maintaining agricultural production on their land. CSP also encourages the adoption of new technologies and management …
USDA Seeks Public Comment on Revised Conservation Practice Standards
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is seeking public comment on proposed revisions to 23 national conservation practice standards through a posting in the Federal Register. The proposed revisions were published March 9 and comments are due April 8. Proposed revisions to the national conservation practice standards include: Stream Crossing– modification to allow vented fords as an …
USDA Delays Signup for CRP Grasslands
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced they are postponing the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Grasslands signup. While the original date to start this signup was mid-March, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will announce new signup dates in the coming weeks. The Biden Administration is currently evaluating the program and looking at ways to increase enrollment. CRP Grasslands was …
Enrollment for ARC and PLC Programs Ends Monday
Agricultural producers who have not yet enrolled in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for 2021 must do so by March 15. Producers who have not yet signed a 2021 enrollment contract or who want to make an election change need to contact their local USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) office to make an appointment. …
Signup for Funding to Remove Cogongrass Infestations in Florida Announced
(NRCS/FL) — Florida forest landowners in parts of Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties can apply for financial assistance to manage invasive Cogongrass until March 26 from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing $60,000 this fiscal year to remove the highly invasive Cogongrass in Florida. One of the world’s top-ten worst weeds, Cogongrass is threatening longleaf …
Florida Couple Pleased with NRCS CSP Contract
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Florida wants to remind landowners they are accepting Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) applications for the fiscal year 2021 through March 26. A couple with a livestock operation in Frostproof, Florida has been pleased with their CSP contract. Arshad and Uma Malik raise sheep and goats on their Polk County farm, and have a CSP contract with prescribed grazing …
USDA in Georgia Announces April 2 Application Cutoff for CSP
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Georgia has announced the statewide cutoff for the fiscal year 2021 Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) funding is April 2, 2021. Georgia State Conservationist, Terrance O. Rudolph, urges all Georgia agricultural producers and landowners who wish to be considered for this year’s funding to apply. “CSP is the nation’s largest conservation …
Florida NRCS Announces CRP Signup
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Florida has announced they are now accepting Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) applications for the fiscal year 2021. Through CSP, NRCS helps agricultural producers and forest landowners earn payments for expanding conservation activities while maintaining agricultural production on their land. CSP also encourages the adoption of new technologies and management techniques. Changes in the 2018 Farm Bill authorized NRCS to …
New Form Required for Some NRCS Customers
If you are a producer or landowner who participates in USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) conservation programs, you may receive information in the mail from the Farm Service Agency (FSA) about a form you’ll need to fill out. Starting this year, all producers and landowners participating or applying to participate in certain NRCS conservation programs must complete form CCC-902, Farm Operating Plan. …
ACEP and Public-Private Partnership
Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the final rule for its Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP). The program enables agricultural producers and private landowners to protect farmlands, grasslands, and wetlands with conservation easements. Jimmy Bramblett, with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), discusses the relationship between landowners and the federal government under ACEP. ACEP’s agricultural land easements (ALE) component assists state and local …