USDA Conservation Program Sign-Up Successful for 2009

By Tim Halt, District Conservationist

 

        The Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) sign-up last spring was successful for Coshocton County, as 21 applicants were funded to develop contracts totaling $241,984.   EQIP was established to help all types of producers – livestock and dairy, grazing, cash crop, and also organic and specialty crops.   EQIP also offers special funding for beginning, socially disadvantaged, and limited resource farmers.

        In 2009, 3 Grazing applications under Air Quality special initiative were funded for $124,665 treating 166 acres.   Practices in a grazing application may include fencing, spring development, trough, pipeline, or pasture planting along with a required Prescribed Grazing Plan for the farm.

       Also for 2009, 18 Forestry applications to perform Forest Stand Improvement practices on 616 acres will provide $117,319 in funding.   A Forest Stewardship Plan is a requirement for Forest Stand Improvement practices such as Grapevine Control, Control of Woody Invasives, Crop Tree Release, and Tree Planting.  

       New to Coshocton County, in 2009 the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) sign-up occurred August 10 - September 30.   This program promotes the improvement of soil, water, air, energy, plant, animal life, and other conservation at a higher level than most programs require.   Technical and financial assistance are available to address cropland, grassland, pastureland, and non-industrial private forest land that are part of a farm operation.   Like EQIP, CSP sign-up is on a continuing basis, and there will be another cutoff for the next round of funding under this program after January 1, 2010.

       If you’re interested in applying for EQIP, CSP, the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), or the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) in 2010, plan ahead by getting soil tests taken or request a Prescribed Grazing Plan, Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan, or Forest Stewardship Plan by contacting the Coshocton SWCD/NRCS at 740-622-8087.

USDA-NRCS begins Statewide Sign-Up for

the New Conservation Stewardship Program

Continuous Sign-Up Begins Aug. 10 - First Deadline is September 30

COLUMBUS, OH, Aug. 10, 2009—The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will begin continuous sign-up for the new Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) on August 10 in Ohio. The first cutoff for ranking purposes is scheduled for Sept. 30, State Conservationist Terry Cosby announced today.

“The Conservation Stewardship Program changed dramatically in the 2008 Farm Bill,” said Cosby. “NRCS took the time to develop a program that would appeal to our diverse customers and offer them an equal chance to participate. We hope that agricultural and forestry producers in Ohio take full advantage of the benefits this newly revised program offers.”

The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill) authorized the Conservation Stewardship Program. Congress renamed and revamped the former Conservation Security Program completely to improve its availability and appeal to agricultural and forestry producers. The Conservation Stewardship Program will be offered in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Pacific and Caribbean areas through continuous sign-ups with announced cut-off application dates for ranking periods. The maximum annual enrollment is capped at nearly 12.8 million acres nationwide.

NRCS administers CSP, a voluntary conservation program designed to encourage agricultural and forestry producers to adopt additional conservation practices and improve, maintain and manage existing ones.

To apply for the newly revamped CSP, individual producers, legal entities and Indian tribes will be encouraged to use a self-screening checklist first to determine whether the new program is suitable for them or their operation. The checklist is available on www.oh.nrcs.usda.gov and at NRCS field offices.  

After the self-screening, the producer’s current and proposed conservation activities are entered in the conservation measurement tool (CMT). This tool estimates the level of environmental performance to be achieved by a producer implementing and maintaining conservation activities. The conservation performance estimated by the CMT will be used to rank applications.

A producer must treat at least one resource concern and one priority resource concern during the length of the CSP’s five-year contract. Ohio has selected water quality, soil quality, and plants as the three priority resource concerns, one of the criteria that will be used to rank applications. Ohio has established three ranking pools to rank applications with similar resource concerns, the Western Lake Erie Basin , Appalachian, and a general pool for the remainder of the State.

NRCS field staff will conduct on-site field verifications of pre-approved applicants’ information provided for the CMT.

Another major change in the program is the method of payments. CSP will offer two possible types of payments—annual and supplemental. The annual payment will be established using the conservation performance estimated by the CMT and calculated by land use type for enrolled eligible land. A supplemental payment is also available to participants who also adopt a resource-conserving crop rotation. The annual payment limitation for a person or legal entity is $40,000. A person or legal entity cannot exceed $200,000 for all contracts entered into during any five-year period.

Individual producers, legal entities and Indian tribes must meet several requirements to obtain a Conservation Stewardship Program contract. They must be listed as the operator in the USDA farm records management system for the operation being offered for enrollment. They must document that they control the land for the term of the contract and include all eligible land in their entire operation in that contract. They must comply with highly erodible land and wetland conservation provisions and comply with Adjusted Gross Income provisions.

Eligible lands include cropland, grassland, prairie, improved pastureland, non-industrial private forestland—a new land use for the program—and agricultural land under the jurisdiction of an Indian tribe.

Land enrolled in the Conservation Security Program, Conservation Reserve Program, Grasslands Reserve Program and Wetlands Reserve Program are ineligible for the new Conservation Stewardship Program.

The new CSP is very different from the old Conservation Security Program. Under the old program, producers were eligible if they were in the selected watersheds. All contracts under the old CSP will be honored until the end of the contract term.

For more information about the new CSP, please visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/new_csp/. For more information about conservation programs in Ohio, including CSP, please visit www.oh.nrcs.usda.gov or contact the Coshocton NRCS/SWCD office at 724 S. Seventh Street, Coshocton, Ohio   43812 or by calling 740-622-8087.

Conservation Reserve Program
The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) provides technical and financial assistance to eligible farmers and ranchers to address soil, water and related natural resource concerns on their lands in an environmentally beneficial and cost-effective manner. The program is funded through the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC). CRP is administered by the Farm Service Agency, with NRCS providing technical land eligibility determinations, conservation planning and practice implementation.

The Conservation Reserve Program encourages producers to voluntarily plant areas of grass and trees on erosion prone or highly erodible land. Producers enter into contracts with USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation for 10 to 15 years. In return, producers receive annual rental payments, incentive payments for certain conservation practices and cost-share assistance to establish the protective vegetation.

Environmental Quality Incentives Program
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a voluntary conservation program that promotes agricultural production and environmental quality as compatible National goals. Through EQIP, farmers and ranchers may receive financial and technical help to install or implement structural and management conservation practices on eligible land. EQIP may cost-share up to 75 percent of the costs of certain conservation practices. Incentive payments may be provided for up to three years to encourage producers to carry out management practices they may not otherwise use without the incentive. Practices are subject to NRCS technical standards adapted for local conditions. The local conservation district approves the plan.

Grassland Reserve Program
The Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) is a voluntary program offering landowners the opportunity to protect, restore and enhance grasslands on their property. The Natural Resources Conservation Service, Farm Service Agency and Forest Service are coordinating implementation of GRP, which helps landowners restore and protect grassland, rangeland, pastureland, shrubland and certain other lands and provides assistance for rehabilitating grasslands.

Wetlands Reserve Program
The Wetlands Reserve Program is a voluntary program offering landowners the opportunity to protect, restore and enhance wetlands on their property. The USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides technical and financial support to help landowners with their wetland restoration efforts. The program provides an opportunity for landowners to receive financial incentives to enhance wetlands in exchange for retiring marginal land from agriculture.


The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’S TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326W, Whitten Building, 1400 and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.