New Farm Bill Allows Farmers to Secure Conservation Benefits on Working Farmland for 5 More Years
Farmers participating in the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) can renew expiring contracts between July 11 and Sept. 15, the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced last week.
CSP offers farmers five-year contracts to secure and enhance conservation on the land they have in active production. The 2014 Farm Bill provides contract holders an opportunity to reenroll in the program for five years once the original contract expires. This year, farmers who received contracts in 2009 and 2010 will be eligible for renewal in the program. Minnesota had over 1,500 producers receive contracts worth nearly $105 million during those years.
“This conservation program has fit my farm and farming approach well,” said Gregg Stangl, a dairy and crop farmer from Pierz, Minn. “My contract expires this year and the renewal option is one I’m definitely going to check out with NRCS this summer.”
Stangl operates a 350-acre farm in Morrison County, which, with over 260 producer contracts, is one of Minnesota’s top counties for CSP use.
“On my farm I used the Conservation Stewardship Program to better target crop fertilizers for when the crop really needs it and also to improve a tree shelterbelt to reduce soil erosion,” said Stangl. “Our NRCS guys have been real good to work with and I’m sure glad the program was continued in the 2014 Farm Bill.”
To renew a CSP contract, farmers must visit their local county NRCS service center. Farmers optioning to renew contracts will be expected to keep existing conservation improvements in place and also add one additional enhancement to their farm.
Enhancements are specific practices that address resource concerns on a farm and increase a farmer’s potential yearly CSP payments. Common enhancements in Minnesota have included: establishing pollinator habitat; timely and strategic application of nutrients, herbicides and pesticides; hay cutting techniques to minimize wildlife mortality; and rotating supplemental feeding areas for livestock.
New CSP contracts for this year (2014) are currently being evaluated by NRCS, with contract offerings for farmers expected in mid- to late-summer.
Since CSP was launched, Minnesota has consistently led the nation in total contracts and dollars obligated by the USDA, at 3,816 and over $300 million, respectively. Minnesota counties with the greatest number of farmers who received contracts in 2009 and 2010 include Otter Tail, Morrison, Murray, Roseau, Pennington, Itasca, Goodhue, Waseca, Stearns and Beltrami.
In terms of acres covered, CSP is the largest conservation program in the nation, with nearly 60 million acres enrolled. The 2014 Farm Bill also authorized the USDA to enroll in CSP an additional 10 million acres nationwide for the next five years.
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For more information, go to:
• Land Stewardship Project: July 1, 2014 – MN NRCS Bulletin, “Conservation Stewardship Program Renewals”
• National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition blog, “CSP Contract Renewal Process Begins Next Month”
• Natural Resource Conservation Service: CSP Website