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Conservation Security Program

Photo of stripcroppingCSP is a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance to promote the conservation and improvement of soil, water, air, energy, plant and animal life, and other conservation purposes on Tribal and private working lands. Working lands include cropland, grassland, prairie land, improved pasture, and range land, as well as forested land that is an incidental part of an agriculture operation. The program is available in all 50 States, the Caribbean Area and the Pacific Basin area. The program provides equitable access to benefits to all producers, regardless of size of operation, crops produced, or geographic location.

The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (2002 Farm Bill) (Pub. L. 107-171) amended the Food Security Act of 1985 to authorize the program. CSP is administered by USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

 

CSP Watershed Information is Now On-Line!

CSP Watershed information is now available online. Click on the Watershed where your farm or ranching interest is located. This will take you to specific information for that Watershed.  More information for the CSP watersheds will be available soon.

These documents require Adobe Acrobat reader.

Adobe Acrobat DocumentWatershed Selection Key Points (80.7 KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentWatershed Selection Questions and Answers (79 KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentWatershed Approach Key Points (32.28 KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentWatershed Approach Questions and Answers (62.82 KB)

 

CSP Self Assessment Workbook is Now On-Line!

Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Bruce Knight released a self-assessment workbook for potential CSP participants. By going through the workbook, producers 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.

To complete the Self-Assessment on-line, go to CSP Self-Assessment. 

The Self-Assessment also is available for download -- see below.

These documents require Adobe Acrobat reader.

Adobe Acrobat DocumentSelf-Assessment Workbook, (complete workbook, all pages) (941.12KB)

For faster-downloading, the  Self Assessment workbook is also available in two separate sections, without photos:

    Adobe Acrobat DocumentWorkbook Pages, (pages 1-24), (205.05KB)
    Adobe Acrobat DocumentAppendices without images, (pages 25-55), (296.97KB)

 

CSP Brochures

Adobe Acrobat DocumentCSP_Brochure.pdf (9.48 MB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentCSP_Watershed.pdf (10.9 MB)

 

CSP FY-2004 Contract and Payment Information

Adobe Acrobat DocumentFY-2004 CSP Contracts Approved by Watershed, August 28, 2004 (8.34 KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentFy-2004 CSP Payments Approved by Watershed, August 28, 2004 (8.17 KB)

CSP 2004 Contracts and Payments Charts, by Watershed and Tier Payments
Adobe Acrobat DocumentAir Resource Management Adobe Acrobat DocumentSoil Management
Adobe Acrobat DocumentEnergy Management Adobe Acrobat DocumentWater Management
Adobe Acrobat DocumentGrazing Management Adobe Acrobat DocumentExisting Practices
Adobe Acrobat DocumentHabitat Management  Adobe Acrobat DocumentStewardship
Adobe Acrobat DocumentNutrient Management Adobe Acrobat DocumentEnhancement
Adobe Acrobat DocumentPest Management  
   
Practice Payments  
Adobe Acrobat DocumentTier 1 Adobe Acrobat DocumentTier 2 Adobe Acrobat DocumentTier 3  


CSP Rules, Notices, and Supporting Documents

Adobe Acrobat DocumentCSP Fact Sheet - (50.14 KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentCSP Comprehensive Key Points (63.07 KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentInterim Final Rule, with request for comments by September 20, 2004, June 21, 2004 (236.775 KB)
 Adobe Acrobat DocumentCSP Notice, Sign-up Announcement, CSP-1
Adobe Acrobat DocumentCSP Economic Analysis of Interim Final Rule (637.30 KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentCSP Civil Rights Analysis Interim Final Rule
Adobe Acrobat DocumentSummary of Interim Final Rule (33.8 KB)

 

Related Program Information

These items require RealPlayer :

CSP Program Underway-    RealPlayer Presentation (46.47KB)   MP3 Audio (856.80KB)
The very first contracts for the USDA´s Conservation Security Program have been signed. ( Kristi Pettis and Dep.Secy´ James Moseley)

Actuality: First Conservation Security Contracts Signed-    RealPlayer Presentation (37.82KB)    MP3 Audio (674.77KB)
Deputy Agriculture Secretary James Moseley, from a farm in Vernon Center, Minnesota, talking about the farm´s signing of the first CSP contract.

 

CSP Comments Are In!

 To view comments at our headquarters office in Washington DC, please contact us at 202-720-1845.

Comments on Interim Final Rule

Comments on Proposed Rule

NRCS Program Contact

Craig Derickson, 202-720-3524