Conservation Security Program (CSP)

The Conservation Security Program (CSP) is a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance for the conservation, protection, and improvement of soil, water, air, energy, plant and animal life, and other conservation purposes on Tribal and private lands. The CSP will help owners and operators of agricultural lands maintain conservation stewardship and implement and maintain additional needed conservation practices. The conservation benefits gained will keep farms and ranches more sustainable and profitable and increase the benefits provided to all Americans through improved natural resources.  The program provides payments for producers who practice good stewardship on their agricultural lands and incentives for those who want to do more. CSP assistance was authorized in the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (Farm Bill) and the program will be available in fiscal year 2003. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) manages the program.

How CSP Works

An inventory will be conducted to identify resource concerns and determine the extent of conservation treatment that is being applied and maintained on the producer’s land. Payments will include a base payment determined by the treatment level, maintenance payments for currently applied conservation practices, and enhanced payments for exceptional conservation efforts.

A three-tiered approach will be used when offering base payments

Tier I addresses at least one natural resource concern to a non-degradation level on part of the agricultural operation. Base payment is 5 percent of either the average national rental rate for the 2001 crop year for the specific land use or another appropriate rate that ensures regional equity up to $5000. Tier I contracts are limited to 5 years.

Tier II goes a step further; it must treat one natural resource concern to a non-degradation level and involve the entire agricultural operation. Base payment is 10 percent of either the average national rental rate for the 2001 crop year for the specific land use or another appropriate rate that ensures regional equity up to $10,500. Tier II contracts range from 5 to 10 years, as determined by the producer.

Tier III is the highest level of conservation management; it must treat all natural resource concerns to a non-degradation level and must involve the entire agricultural operation. Base payment is 15 percent of either the average national rental rate for the 2001 crop year for the specific land use or another appropriate rate that ensures regional equity up to $13,500. Tier III contracts range from 5 to 10 years, as determined by the producer.

In addition to the base payment, participants may receive up to 75 percent (up to 90 percent for beginning farmers and ranchers) of the cost of maintaining conservation practices as determined by the county average costs for 2001 of conservation practice maintenance, unless a maintenance agreement exists or practices are required by conservation compliance. At the discretion of the Secretary of Agriculture, payment enhancements may be added for such things as applying practices that exceed the minimum requirements for the tier, addressing local conservation priorities in addition to the concerns for the agricultural operation, participating in research and demonstration projects, cooperating with other producers to implement watershed or regional resource conservation plans that cover at least 75 percent of the targeted area, or carrying out assessment and evaluation activities relating to practices included in a conservation security plan. 

If a producer desires to increase the level of conservation treatment, cost-share payments for needed enduring structural or agronomic practices are available through the CSP at up to 75 percent of the cost of the new practice, or up to 90 percent in the case of beginning farmers or ranchers. Participants may contribute to the cost of the new practice through in-kind sources, such as personal labor, use of personal equipment, donated labor or materials, and use of on-hand or approved used materials. Cost-shared practices are to be maintained for the life of the practice. All needed practices and management must be in place and maintained before a producer can move to the next tier.

Eligibility

The CSP is available to agricultural producers, including Tribal producers. Private agricultural land (including cropland, grassland, prairie land, improved pasture land, and rangeland), land under the jurisdiction of an Indian tribe, and forested land that is an incidental part of the agricultural operation is eligible for enrollment in CSP.

For fiscal year 2004, to ensure that CSP’s limited resources are focused first on the most pressing environmental concerns, NRCS has imposed eligibility requirements based on nationally selected priority watersheds.  Only producers located within these watersheds will be eligible for a given sign-up.  A majority of the agricultural operation must reside in the selected watershed.  The eligible watersheds were announced by Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman on May 19, 2004 and include the Lower Salt Fork of the Arkansas River watershed in Oklahoma and Kansas.  This watershed occurs in Alfalfa, Garfield, Grant, Kay, and Noble Counties in Oklahoma and Barber, Harper, and Sumner Counties in Kansas.

The watersheds were selected based on objective information from natural resource, environmental quality, and agricultural activity data.  The watershed prioritization process considered several factors, including the vulnerability of surface and groundwater quality, the potential for excessive soil quality degradation, and the condition of grazing land in the watershed.

Land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program, Wetlands Reserve Program, and Grassland Reserve Program and land converted to cropland after the enactment of the CSP legislation is not eligible. 

For further information and assistance, contact your local NRCS Field Service Center

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