United States Department of Agriculture
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CSP Eligibility Criteria

Producers with the majority of their land within the boundaries of the Upper Choctawhatchee River Watershed have met the first criteria for eligibility in the Conservation Security Program (CSP).  

Sign-up deadline extended until May 30, 2008.

Applicants must complete the CSP Self-Assessment Workbook to apply for the program. If you believe your operation is eligible, contact your local NRCS office to schedule an interview. Producers should take the completed CSP Self-Assessment Workbook to the interview.

By completing the CSP Self-Assessment Workbook, potential CSP participants will get a good idea about whether they are eligible for CSP at this time. Producers who may not be eligible can find out about programs that can help them achieve a higher level of conservation so that they may apply for CSP in the future.

Benefits

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.

How CSP Works

During 2008, only producers in the Choctawhatchee River Watershed can participate.   Producers within this 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

Prior to setting up an appointment with NRCS to sign-up for the program, interested producers are required to successfully complete a self-assessment workbook to determine eligibility.

NRCS in Alabama held three workshops to answer producer questions and to help complete the self-assessment workbook.  (workshop dates-archive only)

If CSP interests you, please review Choctawhatchee River Watershed CSP Preliminary Checklist 2008 (available below). If you can answer “yes” to all of these questions, and plan to enroll in the program, contact your Local NRCS Service Center (USDA Office Locator: Information about service center location.)  There are Service Centers in most Alabama counties. 

These documents require Adobe Acrobat.

Adobe Acrobat documentChoctawhatchee River Watershed CSP Preliminary Checklist 2008
Adobe Acrobat documentAlabama CSP Self-Assessment Workbook 2008
Adobe Acrobat documentAlabama CSP Participant Records 2008  

CSP Contract Payments

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.
  • An enhancement component for exceptional conservation effort and additional conservation practices or activities that provide increased resource benefits beyond the prescribed level.

    The enhancement components are:
  • improving a significant resource concern beyond requirement
  • addressing locally identified conservation needs.

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.

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