General Information - 2006 CSP

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.

During 2006, only producers in the Guntersville and Pickwick Lakes Watersheds can participate.   Producers within these watershed may submit an application once they meet eligibility criteria outlined below and complete a benchmark inventory documenting the existing conservation treatment on each land use within the agricultural operation for land to be enrolled.  NRCS will provide the necessary materials for completing the inventory prior to the first sign-up. Based on the benchmark inventory and a follow-up interview, NRCS will determine in which program tier the applicant could participate.

Eligibility

Both the producer and the producer’s operation must first meet the basic eligibility criteria:

• The land must be privately owned or Tribal land and the majority of the land must be located within a selected priority watershed.
• The applicant must be in compliance with highly erodible and wetland provisions of the Food Security Act of 1985, have an active interest in the agricultural operation, and have control of the land for the life of the contract.
• The applicant must share in the risk of producing any crop or livestock and be entitled to a share in the crop or livestock marketed from the operation. All applicants must meet the minimum tier eligibility and contract requirements, plus any additional requirements in the sign-up announcement.

Preliminary Checklist to Determine if You Are Eligible  

CSP Contract Payment

CSP contract payments include one or more of the following:

• An annual base component for the benchmark conservation treatment.
• An annual existing practice component for those maintaining existing conservation
  practices.
• A one-time new practice component for additional needed practices.
• An enhancement component for exceptional conservation effort and additional conservation practices or activities that provide increased resource benefits beyond the prescribed level.
  
  The five enhancement components are:

• improving a significant resource concern beyond requirement
• addressing locally identified conservation needs
• on-farm research and demonstrations
• cooperative watershed activities
• and assessment and evaluation activities.

Total payments are determined by the tier of participation:

• For Tier I, contracts are for 5 years; maximum payment is $20,000 annually.
• For Tier II, contracts are for 5-10 years; maximum payment is $35,000 annually.
• For Tier III, contracts are for 5-10 years; maximum payment is $45,000 annually.