eNEWS
September 2009 > Conservation Stewardship Program sign-up through Sept. 30
Farmers and ranchers have until Sept. 30 to sign up for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), a comprehensive working lands program that rewards producers for practices that improve natural resources and the environment. CSP provides technical and financial assistance to producers for maintaining existing conservation measures and for adopting additional conservation practices.
CSP rewards producers for the conservation benefits of their existing organic farming and ranching systems. Organic practices are among more than 70 activities CSP targets. Some of these include organic cropping and livestock systems, establishing pollinator habitat, conservation tillage, resource-conserving crop rotations, rotational grazing, and continuous cover cropping. Practices that sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse gases are also rewarded. In addition, the 2008 Farm Bill requires NRCS to provide technical assistance specific to organic producers.
The first step for a producer to determine whether CSP would benefit them is completing the Producer Self-Screening Checklist provided by NRCS. If the producer feels, after completing the checklist, that they meet applicant, land and stewardship eligibility, they are encouraged to contact the local NRCS office for the next step in the application process.
For more information contact Florida Organic Growers at 352.377.6345, email fog@foginfo.org or visit the NRCS CSP Web site.
RESOURCES
NRCS Conservation Stewardship Program
2008 Farm Bill NRCS Conservation Programs