Assistant ag secretary announces conservation stewardship program

RBC y Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan recently announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin continuous sign-up for the new Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) with the first signup period cutoff scheduled for Sept. 30. CSP is a voluntary program that encourages agricultural and forestry producers to maintain existing conservation activities and adopt additional ones on their operations.
“This program will help the nation’s agricultural and forestry producers reach greater levels of conservation performance, which will help protect our land and water,” Merrigan said. “The conservation benefits derived from maintaining and enhancing natural resources will improve the quality of soil and water, assist in addressing global climate change, and encourage environmentally responsible energy production.”
To apply for the newly revamped CSP, potential participants will be encouraged to use a self-screening checklist first to determine whether the new program is suitable for them or their operation. It will be available on NRCS Web sites and at NRCS field offices.